My Undefined
by aquaxeyes
Summary: Chloe didn't know what was happening between her and Oliver, but when someone from the past resurfaces, she starts to realize how much he really means to her.
1. Prologue

**Title:** My Undefined  
**Author:** aquaxeyes  
**Rating: **T for sensual scenes  
**Full Description:** Chloe didn't know what was happening between her and Oliver, but when someone from the past resurfaces, she starts to realize how much he really means to her.

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**Author's Notes: **This fic is a kind of supplemental off-screen story that pieces Chlollie bits (between episodes) on the show together. I was inspired by the 9x16 "Escape" clip newly released on YT.

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing but the story.

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**Prologue.**

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Chloe curled up into a ball and rested her head against her knees, wishing she could feel her fingers and toes. More importantly, she wished she could feel calm in the knowledge that someone was coming for her. But she knew better. She was alone in a dark, cold basement without windows in neigh but a faded t-shirt and some sweatpants.

Nothing like not knowing where you were to get you up in the morning.. if it was morning. She had no idea. All she remembered was coming to against the cold concrete she was sitting on, light barely present enough to help her discern that aside from her, the room was empty. Devoid of all life.

When she realized that, she started to panic. She'd always hated confined spaces, and though a room wasn't exactly a coffin or a morgue slot her climbing anxiety was rooted in the fact that she was trapped, just in a bigger cage. She screamed, pounded on the door, shouted for help, for Oliver and even Clark, but no one came.

Then she sat there for what felt like an hour, until she calmed down and regain her senses. Eventually, she was able to get up, investigate the room. There wasn't much; concrete floor and walls and a solid door. Nothing to sit on, no electrical outlets. It was strange, like she'd been thrown into a black hole and the only way out was to wait the situation out.

She didn't have a clue as to what was going on, so she tried to be patient and sat back down on the ground. Maybe someone would come find her. Maybe whoever put her there would come back. She could occupy her time by counting the seconds.

Sixty seconds in a minute. Sixty minutes in an hour. One. Two. Three..

She sat and sat, slowly feeling her hands and feet go numb. It was like the floor was siphoning her body heat and replacing it with ice. The prickles dancing on her feet had gotten so sharp she lost count after six thousand four hundred and twenty-four seconds.

She choked back a sob. She lost her hold on reality. No longer was there sense of time, simply her failing attempt to maintain sane thoughts. Somewhere between rationality and despair she came to a stark realization.

She was going to die. Who knew if anyone would find her body?

Stiffly, she wiped the tears from her eyes and spread them across her cheeks, enjoying the momentary warmth on her face. It felt like a kiss grazing her cheeks. She smiled. For some reason, the feeling reminded her of Oliver.

Instead of dismissing the train of thought, she followed it, painting the memory in her head. The effort helped her compartmentalize the affects of the cold. She let the memory envelop her and soon all she could see was a target with green arrows, practically feel a bow in her arms and a hard body aligned with hers..

The beginning.

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_A few months ago _( **A/N**: Chloe's POV was a prologue thing. Starting now, it's a POV free-for-all. )

Chloe let out a breath she didn't know she was holding as her mind processed that she hit a bullseye. Never had she accomplished anything like honing in on her archery skills. Her life had been journalism, hiding and protecting Clark's secret, computers, and playing Watchtower. For the second time in the past twenty-four hours she tried something new and was thrilled by it.

Or maybe her mind was misdirecting this newfound exhilaration. Maybe it had more to do with the fact that Oliver hadn't let go of her arm and was slowly sliding his hand over her skin to take the bow out of her hands in a way that made her nerves skittish.

The moment was silent but charged. Frozen in place, she didn't want to break the thin ice they were treading on. Yes, their verbal dance-with a bit of alcoholic influence-had primed them for this fight-or-flight moment, but her brain was still trying to tell her to feign ignorance. It was an attempt to fool herself so she could fool him. "Think that was beginner's luck?" she asked, barely recognizing her own voice.

Okay, fail. She could tell by his deliberate silence she hadn't been able to fool either of them.

"No," he said, taking a strand of her hair in his fingers. "You're a natural."

She felt the move down to her bones. "What are you doing?" she asked, breathless.

"Practicing an art that's like breathing to me." He brushed her hair away from her neck. "If you get a clear shot, take it."

Her skin broke out in goosebumps. "Oliver," she said, closing her eyes as his lips touched the crook of her neck. No. This was crazy! She'd only meant to flirt with the idea of flirting with him, but to actually feel this way.. She had to stop this. She turned around. "We shou-"

Before she could get the warning out, his mouth was covering hers, obliterating all thoughts of protest. She was swept away. The last person who had kissed her _this_ passionately-in an urgent, end-of-the-world kind of way-was Clark, and it was so long ago that she'd forgotten what it felt like. To kiss someone who wanted to kiss her just as badly. To be held in strong arms, a warmth that was sweet and sensual. It was a taste of something she hadn't known she'd been hungering for.

She couldn't help that she wanted more.

He figured she was going to try to fight, pull away. But when she caved in, it was like nothing he ever anticipated. He almost didn't want to admit it, but she was giving as well as she got, to the point where he was wondering who was trying to seduce who. He placed his hands on her hips and brought her even closer, until they were pressed against each other, and it was all he could do not to make a single sound. One word ran through his head.

Couch.

Still holding on to her, he backpedaled, not really knowing which way he was going, only that she was fanning this deep fire within him. They didn't stop until the back of his legs hit something. Startled, they parted long enough to see he'd bumped into a desk. He looked back at her, eyes asking her "Now what?"

She ran her fingers under his black t-shirt and together they took it off. His skin was scorching, untouched. Her eyes never left his and soon their lips met again. Her hands ran up and down his bare back and he groaned, spinning them around so that she was backed up against the desk.

The rational, Chloe part of his conscious quickfired in response. Was this right? He was sure they were about to reach the point of no return. Him. And Chloe.

She pulled away, again staring into his eyes. Without breaking contact she took off her shirt. He took the sight of her in, mesmerized by how beautiful she looked under the dimmed lights.

She arched a brow, her eyes asking "What now?"

He looked at her and grinned. He was willing to bet they wouldn't be able to keep the nonverbals up for very long.

* * *

Oliver felt the warmth of colorful light kiss the lids of his eyes right before he opened them. He'd had the most interesting dream. A night involving his bow and arrows, a single malt, and a beautiful woman. Every man's dream, minus the bow and arrow bit. Recalling the woman, however, was what spiced it up. In the past Oliver had his fair share of two-second fantasies involving Chloe Sullivan, but never had he actually done what he dreamt he'd done last night. Just thinking about it brought a small smile to his face.

He rubbed his eyes, and they finally adjusted to his surroundings. Stained glass. Modern furniture. Computer screens. He looked down and realized that, although he was covered by a blanket, he was covered _only_ by a blanket. He sat up.

Oh. My. God.

As the realization begun to sink in, a mug appeared to his left. Attached was a silent, pensive Chloe.

He took the mug, aware that she was trying to avoid touching him, and watched her take a seat on the couch across from him. She was wearing what she wore last night, reminding him of how every article of clothing had been stripped off and-

He took a sip of the mug's contents, barely noticing how strong the coffee actually was or how the liquid burned his throat on the way down. He was undressing Chloe with his eyes, which was a serious no-no, especially since he'd caught on to her solemn mood.

Chloe didn't know what to say. After what they had done, what were their first words to each other post-one night stand supposed to be? She stared down at her hands, interlaced in her lap. How was any of this supposed to go?

There were tons of questions running through her busy mind, but surprisingly she felt quite calm. And that's when she grimaced. She slept with Oliver Queen. She should be anything but calm.

Oliver stared at her, knowing there was much more going on in her head than what she was showing. He hoped that maybe she was just as confused about where to start as he was. He decided to proceed with caution. "Last night.. happened."

She nodded. "We had sex," she said, almost disdainfully.

He raised a brow at the statement. How she could sit there, wide-eyed and typical Chloe, and say something so audacious.. it was new. He shrugged. All of this was new. He looked at her stiff expression and said, "Uh, yeah. I was there."

She ignored the attempt at humor. It was definitely her guilty conscience telling her not to find any of this funny. "It shouldn't have happened," she said, using the logical part of her brain that was recalling the facts. "Not only am I cousin to your ex-flame, but we work together."

"Notice, Lois is my _ex_ who is dating our friend Clark, and our line of work doesn't have an employee handbook." As in, work and past relationships were not valid reasons why they shouldn't have slept together.

She shook her head. He confirmed what she feared. He didn't realize she broke a rule; never sleep with a friend, never cross that line no matter how thin it may be. "You're one of my good friends," she said, "and I took advantage of you."

"Okay, I don't know where you got that insane idea from, but you didn't take advantage of me." He didn't know if he should feel confused or offended. He was probably both. Now that he was fully awake he remembered what happened clearly, remembered her reacting to him as much as he reacted to her. There was no "taking advantage" of anyone.

"You're not just saying that so I'll feel less guilty?" she asked.

"No. Look, would it make you feel better if we Dawson's Creek this thing to death?"

She tried to smile. He was doing his best to keep her from overreacting. "I only wanted to make sure this temporary lapse of better judgment didn't interfere with our working relationship." She didn't know why she didn't add "and our friendship", but he didn't seem to notice, too focused on the first part of what she said.

"Temporary lapse.. Chloe," he said, furrowing his brow, "you really didn't see this coming?"

She blinked. "I'm not sure I'm following."

He deadpanned her, but her expression told him she really needed him to explain. "Friends for years, partners seeking justice, but these past few months we've been working closely together.." So much for not getting all Dawson's Creek.

He couldn't understand how she missed the telltale signs. Their quick-witted conversations moving into personal territory. Having a morning coffee run routine. Him moving his extra gear into Watchtower. They talked-or texted-every day, and he was almost positive she set him on speed dial one. Sure, he'd missed them at first, but when he considered how natural it was to be with her mere hours ago he knew it wasn't a random hookup.

She didn't want to see where he was leading to. It meant that something had changed. Selfish as it sounded, she didn't want anything between them to change. Despite their understated highs and lows, he was last remaining constant in her life. She'd already lost so much; she didn't want to give that up, too. "Do you think we could find a way to put this behind us?"

He stared at her in disbelief. "Are you asking me to forget last night?"

She bit down the part of herself that wanted to deny it adamantly and comfort him. She wanted what happened between them last night just as much as she thought he did. But last night was about comfort, about wanting things that weren't conducive to reality. In the morning light, she had to face the truth; she and Oliver Queen had a one night stand. That was it.

"Let's just chalk it up to a hazy night of drinking and bad choices," she said then added, "On both our parts."

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( Worth continuing? )


	2. One

**Title:** My Undefined  
**Author:** aquaxeyes  
**Rating: **T for sensual scenes  
**Full Description:** Chloe didn't know what was happening between her and Oliver, but when someone from the past resurfaces, she starts to realize how much he really means to her.

* * *

**Author's Notes: **So I forgot to mention that the "someone from the past" who's going to show up plays kind of a minor role in this fic, mainly because my focus is on how the dynamic between Chloe and Oliver is changing now that they've thrown a higher level of intimacy into the equilibrium.

The opening scene takes place right before 9x13 Persuasion, only a few days since 9x12 Warrior.

Also, YT "Allison Mack Singing to My Tribute". VERY IMPORTANT for an upcoming scene in this chapter.

[ EDITED ]

Oh gosh, I forgot to thank all who sent me reviews on the last chapter: marie, scorpion05, Lori, pompeypearly, brittany34, angel : ), coco, claudia, elidear, Lady Lemons, dreamiedreamer, LJ, Sunfiresarah, libra20, nat1992, g3eh,Hopelessly Pessimistic, pensoul, MissAudreyFair, annacat, Athena, mistfitmary, CHIARA74, Nevea6, Rachet, steff, Jeremy Shane, Raqi, Nienna Tinehtele and pyrolyn-776. Thanks so much and I hope you like the chapter!

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing but the story.

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**One.**

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Oliver got out of his car and locked it with the key fob. He didn't think it was necessary to set his car alarm on in Smallville, but he knew playing it safe was better than doing nothing. Besides, he had more important things to worry about on his mind, ones circulating around a certain blonde with vibrant green eyes.

Despite Chloe's expressed desire to put their hot and heavy moment behind them, she was the one acting like things had changed. She hadn't been to Watchtower in two days, and though she made sure to keep the rest of the League posted, he'd gotten the short end of the stick. Being downsized to a single text message in the past forty-eight hours was simply outrageous. The last straw was when he walked into Watchtower earlier that day, armed with three dozen rosees, only to see she wasn't there.

Frustration broiled within him. Chloe knew that he was off to Star City for the annual Queen Industries executive meeting later in the afternoon; he'd be there for a week, talking business nonstop in a stuffy room with six unattractive men and their right hands. It was unfortunate, but it was a meeting he couldn't get out of, being the CEO and all. So this was their last chance to see each other before he took off, and she didn't show up. Awesome. Not to mention it was Valentine's Day, a day he loved to hate, and instead of scowling at every PDA he saw on the street he was proffering roses to an elusive woman who was giving him the cold shoulder.

He'd set the roses on a desk and paused, realizing it was _the_ desk. His jaw clenched. Chloe asked him to put that night behind them, yet _she _was avoiding _him_. Well enough was enough. He'd decided it was time to give her a piece of his mind.

That's how he wound up in Smallville, currently rounding the Talon to get to the front entrance. He was tallying up all the good points he had in case they landed in an argument when the door flew open and almost smacked him in the face. He shuffled back and heard a familiar, "Oomph! Hey!"

He straightened and looked at a woman he didn't expect to see. "Lois."

When she took a second to process his face, Lois returned the stare, brows knitted. "Ollie. What the hell are you doing here?"

"Good to see you, too," he muttered.

She stopped and winced. "Sorry, running a little late today. What can I do for you?"

"Actually," he said, choosing his words carefully, "I came to see Chloe."

An expression morphed on Lois' face, one he recognized as curious. "Really? What could you possibly want with my cous?"

He went with an easy enough lie to tell. "I need her savvy computer skills to hack into an encrypted mainframe, one that's loaded with firewalls and--"

"Slow down with the techno jargon," she said before concern took over. "Is this illegal call of duty a favor for your green-leathered half?"

Oliver smiled. "No. I wanted to see what an old friend from Excelsior was up to."

A light bulb switched on in her head. "One of those competitive multi-billionaire business tycoon types?"

He nodded. "See why I need an expert?"

It was her turn to nod. "Good timing. Chlo's just about done getting ready."

"Ready?" he echoed. "For what?"

Lois leaned over conspiratorially. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say she's prepping for a date."

He didn't think she saw through his blasé attitude. "Aren't you Lane-Sullivan women repelled by anything that would make St. Valentine smile favorably on you?"

She shrugged. "I heard she was rescued by a cute boy at a comic book convention the other day. Maybe he's her date." Holding the same breath, she went on. "Anyway, as wonderful as it was to almost give you a pro bono nose job I have to get to the Planet before Clark crashes and burns trying to cover for me. Good luck avoiding Cupid's malicious arrows, Ollie." With a kiss on the cheek, she left.

Oliver tried to dismiss the unsettling idea as he stepped into the Talon. Chloe didn't have a date. If anything, Watchtower was her boyfriend. She spent more time staring at files and computer screens than people as of late. And as much as she kept tabs on everyone else, he kept tabs on her. If she really did have a date, he would've known.

He began climbing the stairs. What Lois said made him lose focus on his mission. He was pretty sure he was there to yell at Chloe..

Four steps to the top he could hear faint music. Well, that was different. He raised his hand to knock, but, considering the situation, thought better of it and opened the door.

She was nowhere in sight. Without the door blocking the acoustics, however, he could hear the music better. It was coming from the bathroom. As he neared it, he could suddenly pinpoint the melodious, on-key voice. Chloe. She was singing to herself. He stopped at the frame of the bathroom door and there she was, standing in front of the mirror, singing while placing the finishing touches on her look.

It was beautiful sight made sweeter by the soulful way she sang a soft jazz tune. The way she slipped her earrings on was as graceful. The way she ran her fingers through her hair to pin it up with a clip accented with a black flower was as smooth.

He waited until the song--and her hair--was done to clear his throat.

She spun around, knocking a brush on the sink over as she turned to him. "Oliver!"

She moved to quickly pick the brush up. As she did so, her patterned shirt dipped, leaving a lovely amount of flesh exposed from his six-foot-three perch. He had to clear his throat again.

Realizing why he was doing that, Chloe straightened and set the brush back by the sink. She didn't want to admit it, but he'd really caught her off guard. It had been days since they'd seen each other, appropriately so since they were trying to live the whole sleeping-with-each-other thing down.

What was he doing there, in her bathroom? He had to have some sort of urgent news. An emergency, maybe? "Did something happen?"

He shook his head.

Chloe wrinkled her face in confusion. Two seconds later, it hit her. He must've wanted to catch Lois before she left the Talon. "Lois left a few minutes ago. If you want to catch her before she hightails it to Metropolis--"

"No, uh.." he said, finally finding his voice. Now if only words could form.. He placed his hand behind his neck in a nervous manner. "I just came here to talk to--with--you."

She lifted an amused eyebrow. "What could be so important you had to drive all the way to Smallville?"

Oliver met her eyes, and the amusement fled from them. "Oh," she simply said.

Her reaction made him remember why he'd been angry. He dug into his pocket, pulled out his phone and held the screen up. He had taken a picture of the roses he'd gotten her--obviously, he moved them somewhere else--since he didn't bring them with him. He waited until her eyes slid from the screen to him to say, "Those were for you."

He wished the sincere apology in her eyes didn't affect him, but they did. "I was planning on coming in today, but last night Lois and I took three too many shots in an anti-Valentine rage and overslept. By the time I woke up she was denned up in the bathroom."

"You could've called, but wait," he said, pausing for effect, "that would imply you found a way to put us sleeping together behind you."

Chloe lowered her head. He was using what she said the last time they were together to drive his point home, but all it did was remind her that she hadn't been able to get over it like he apparently had. Could he really blame her though? It was sex, after all, which was something she didn't take lightly.

"I know you'd rather go on feigning normalcy," he continued, "but since you singled-handedly decided to revamp what normalcy was, I single-handedly decided we should talk about what happened."

"I thought that nighttime venture was self-explanatory," she said as she walked out of the bathroom. She was, of course, careful to narrowly sidestep him. He caught a familiar whiff of her hair as she did so.

He followed the scent out of the bathroom and into the kitchen. "That," he agreed, "doesn't need much explaining. Was it really just a hazy night of drinking and bad choices?"

Chloe deadpanned him. "We weren't thinking," she pointed out, pouring two cups of coffee and offering one to him.

"And that's a bad thing?" he asked, taking the cup. "Remember saying you couldn't recall the last time you had fun?"

She took a sip, reflective. "Yeah."

"Well, that was fun."

Amusement relit her eyes. That was classic Oliver. Smooth-talking, direct and no holds barred. She had to admit she agreed; before her conscience decided to work double-time in the aftermath of their naked tango she was having fun. She eyed him questioningly. "You seriously don't regret--"

"Not how I live my life," he interrupted. It was true. Since his latest good guy reformation Oliver decided he wasn't going to live his life with regrets. Most of the time that applied to work, but in Chloe's case he wasn't about to make an exception. Even though she ticked him off by trying to avoid him, he most definitely did not regret sleeping with her.

Still, she was skeptical. "Even though I'm Lois's cousin." Quickly, she added, "You've got to admit how strange it sounds."

He took a sip of his coffee, never taking his eyes off of her. "Chloe, I care about you. You're part of our team. You're the brains behind our brawn. And you're one of my closest friends. You understand me, sometimes better than I understand myself."

Her smile was warming right before she caved. "Okay, truth? You're a lot of things to me, Oliver, friend and co-worker at the forefront, but now we've jumped into unchartered waters. Who knows what implications our waves will have personally and professionally?"

"Chloe, there are more options less extreme than sink or swim." And just like that, he started to chuckle.

She didn't want to laugh. Oliver was basically making fun of her for worrying about their.. whatever they were. She couldn't help it if she was resistant to going with the flow!

But the way his eyes danced as they focused solely on her.. She smiled, at least. "Point taken. I'll dial down the dire idioms."

"Good." He set his cup down. "So, any chance this is a repeatable occurrence?"

She set her cup down. "I'm thinking we shouldn't push our luck," she said, moving toward her bed.

As she breezed past, Oliver took her arm and spun her around. Her soft body pressed against him, instantly turning the atmosphere from light to heady. He dipped his head, eyes taking in everything about her face. Their lips a breadth apart, he said, "Your point was moot the second you said 'thinking'." With that, he kissed her.

Chloe should've pulled away. It wasn't like he had her in a stronghold; his hands were gently rested against her waist. She _could've_ pulled away. But she didn't. He was right. She was used to always thinking through every move, every response. Kissing Oliver was not about thinking or holding back. Being with him was about passion. She had instincts; she needed to follow them.

Maybe she could learn something from him. Take what's been offered. No expectations. No regrets.

* * *

Chloe stood in front of a computer screen, watching the local news coverage of the burning ruins of RAO's twin towers. Firefighters had been able to put out the flames a few hours ago and so far no injuries or deaths had been reported. She was sure Clark was down there, making sure no one had suffered from his last-minute decision and probably beating himself up for all the things he did while on a mysterious Kryptonite-related trip. She sighed. Clark was Clark.

A window popped up, indicating an incoming video call from none other than Oliver Queen. She picked up the call, letting his live-cam face take over the screen. "Oliver," she said in greeting.

He looked tired, worn down, but he still managed to smile. "How's my favorite genius?"

"Great, considering the body blows dished and received by our neighborhood villainess. Tess sure knows how to throw a mean punch," she said, bringing a hand to her cheek.

He was intrigued. "You got into a fight with Mercy?" He paused, then leaned forward a little. "And you're both still alive?"

She fought against rolling her eyes. "Long story. How's Star City?"

"Oh, fun," came the sarcastic reply. "Nothing like being stuck in a room with a bunch of upper management S.O.B.'s to end a day like this."

"Missing Kansas, Dorothy?" she teased.

"I'm missing _someone_," he said, leaving no doubt as to who he was referring to.

She lowered her head, trying to mask her growing smile before she looked back up. "I'm sure you've already seen what Clark's been up to on the news?"

"Yeah. Remind me never to piss him off," he said, shaking his head. "Part of the long story involving you and Mercy throwing down?"

She nodded.

Oliver sighed dramatically. "I leave you Smallville residents for less than one day and all hell is already breaking loose," he joked.

Chloe was about to reply when a red alert popped up. Chloe read the notice and started typing away. "Canary's nightlife just got four times busier."

"Where is she?"

"Gotham City," she said, pausing to grab an ear piece. "I thought you said the city was covered by tall, dark and Kevlar."

Oliver shrugged. "It's New York. Crime's the latest trend."

She slipped the ear piece on. "See you in a few days?"

"Hey," he said before she hung up. "Remember ice. Ten minutes."

When he disappeared from the screen she had a second to realize he made her smile more times that day than she had in the past week.

* * *

Oliver stepped onto the escalator, ignoring the bright flashes surrounding him like fireworks. So much for leaving the Metropolis International Airport quietly. He had no idea how the paparazzi found him, but he was glad he brought his sunglasses. As stupid as they looked on him in an airport at night, at least he wouldn't have to deal with angry-looking pictures of him on any front pages. In the middle of the shouting, questions and picture-taking, he spotted a man in black holding a sign that said, "O. Queen".

Oliver almost started to shake his head. When he'd talked to her the day before, Chloe said she arranged for someone to drop one of his cars off at the airport. Then why was a limo driver standing there with his name on a sign, waiting for him to get off the escalator? He didn't want a flashy pickup; all he wanted was to get in his car and get to Watchtower as fast as he could.

When he was two feet away from the driver, the man lost the sign, greeted him cheerfully and took his carry on. "This way, sir," he said with a smile and led Oliver out of the airport. The paparazzi continued to follow.

The limo had super dark tinted windows, which he had to appreciate. And lengthwise, it wasn't a major roadblock, so at least it wouldn't pull as much attention. The driver opened the side door, revealing a pair of shapely legs.

Oliver paused. He was not expecting to be picked up by a limousine and he most certainly was not expecting to have company in said limousine.

He contemplated backing away, calling a taxi service with his cell phone, but then he thought of the batty photo stooges behind him and climbed into the vehicle. Whoever the woman was, he was just going to have to deal with her.

The driver closed the door behind him, covering them in complete darkness. He could barely see his own hands. He turned to the woman and said, "Look, I don't know who you are, but I'm not really interested in--"

Before he could finish, the woman grabbed him by the face and kissed him. He reeled, about to pull away when he realized who he was kissing. He wrapped an arm around her, pulling her against him. Yep, it was Chloe.

Chloe smiled, knowing exactly when recognition dawned on Oliver because he started to kiss her back. Before she could totally lose herself in the moment, however, he broke the kiss.

"Okay," he said, panting slightly, "not that I'm opposed to such a warm greeting, but did you have to drag those trashy gossip enablers into it?"

"This is going to sound terrible," she started sheepishly, "but your popularity in the celebrity rumor mill section slipped my mind."

Oliver chuckled. Oh, how he missed Chloe's way with words. "What about your nightly watch?"

"I asked John Jones if he would mind taking over the reigns for a few hours."

She could practically see him arching his eyebrow in the dark. "Only a few hours?"

* * *

( Keep going? )


	3. Two

**Title:** My Undefined  
**Author:** aquaxeyes  
**Rating: **T for sensual scenes  
**Full Description:** Chloe didn't know what was happening between her and Oliver, but when someone from the past resurfaces, she starts to realize how much he really means to her.

* * *

**Author's Notes: **Thank you, thank you, thank you to those who gave me feedback on the last chapter: genkigeek, dreamiedreamer, Rachet, Haley, nat1992, TexasWild, libra20, Jeremy Shane, ElizabethV, brittany34, steff, misfitmary, XxXLilRedXxX, ChamberlinofMusic, nequam-tenshi and iluvaqt. I kept every one of you in mind this week as I juggled school, my internship, doing my taxes and writing this chapter!

The beginning of this chapter is post-Conspiracy (9x14).

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing but the story.

* * *

**Two.**

* * *

Chloe did her best not to stomp as she walked into Watchtower because Oliver was on her six, but she needed some sort of release for the anger rising within her.

Seriously, she didn't feel that way when she got back into her car after the confrontation they had by her former arsenal of Kryptonite-based weapons. But as she drove into Metropolis, watching his car trailing behind her, she started to get upset. Yes, she used her computer skills to drain money from him bit by bit, which consequently meant she also kept her pet project from him, but what she did served a bigger purpose than lying to him. She wanted to prepare herself--and the world--for the worst case scenario, which is exactly where she saw Clark leading them to. It might've sounded like a leap, but when she blindly carried out Clark's will and separated Doomsday from Davis Bloome, she lost everything.

So she lied and embezzled and got caught. She was willing to face it. She was even dealing with Oliver's refusal to tell her where he shipped everything to. What she couldn't get over was him comparing her to the gold digging notches on his belt.

"A lot of women have used me for my money. I never expected it from you."

What made him think she was capable of betraying him, Clark, and the rest of the Justice League? Her shady interlude with Davis was lesson enough. It was protection that drove her, doing what she could to make sure everyone survived this new wave of danger. Instead, Oliver took it as her using him to raise her working stipend.

If all she'd ever wanted was money, she could've started in years ago. And she would've done it without having to sleep with him.

She took her jacket off, turned to start in on Oliver, and stopped. Oliver was looking at her, head to toe, in that unabashed way he usually did before taking her clothes off.

Chloe crossed her arms, deadpanning him.

"Holding sex against me?" he asked, taking his jacket off. When he saw how intently _she_ was watching him do so, he arched a brow.

She ignored him and walked to her desk. "Since you and I are not exactly seeing eye to eye on some fundamental subjects right now, I'd say that's reasonable."

He shrugged. "So we're stuck in a disagreement. Doesn't mean our sex lives should suffer."

She frowned. "Maybe I'm not up for being a booty call right now, did you consider that?"

Oliver winced in regret. He should've known better than to think her selective memory--if she _had_ selective memory--would've crossed that one out. "Look," he said, closing the distance between them, "I'm sorry I said that earlier--"

"Why?" she said, trying to cover the hurt she felt, "That's all this is anyway."

His face hardened. "You know you mean more than that."

"I took money from you. You were upset, understandably. I get that, Oliver. But you.." She had a hard time finishing the rest of it. "You are the only guy besides Jimmy, the love of a substantial part of my life, whom I've ever been with."

He looked up and into her piercing eyes. Somehow, he knew how important it was for her to say that. Maybe it was because he'd mentioned his sexual past in a way that made her seem.. insignificant.

Damn. What an idiot.

He said it out of anger and the surprising hurt he felt at the thought of her pretending to enjoy being with him over money. At that point, he was seeing red. But normal, level-headed Oliver knew that Chloe Sullivan was the complete opposite of insignificant. He only hoped she knew.

Chloe stared at him, watching his thought process. Did he get it? Did he understand two simple words could trash the entirety of what they had? A long-standing friendship, a mutual attraction, enough trust for her to place her life in his hands? True, she was at fault for this trust issue development, but why would he use his cutthroat businessman technique on her?

She took a deep breath then exhaled. She was _not_ going to argue semantics with him. Part of her was dismayed, thinking something like what they had would actually work. She should've known mixing business with pleasure would be a poisonous cocktail. "I've got a few things I need to take care of," she said, turning toward her desk to grab a file, "so if you don't mind--"

"Okay, well I'm going to do this," he said, pulling her into a quick kiss and adding, "And now, you're going to kiss me back," before kissing her again, this time deeply. She didn't fight, so he took her hands in his and wrapped them behind him.

He knew he was taking the guy's way of handling a fight, but they were at a verbal deadlock. What else was he supposed to do if what he said wasn't driving the point home? He wasn't going to continue arguing, but he wasn't going to let her think he was backing down. Hopefully she would understand he was trying to show her he did trust her even if he didn't always agree with her.

He broke the kiss to place one above her collar bone, a spot he knew was slightly ticklish to her. "I should.. work," she protested weakly.

"Later."

* * *

Chloe tried to fall asleep, but she couldn't. It was too strange to lie there, naked in the warm arms of a man she'd just slept with, and feel attached and detached at the same time. There was a part of her that reveled in physically being with him, that liked and respected him, and wanted the comfort that he could offer. Another part was frustrated, hurt by how well he could turn his feelings off and on, and wanted to sock him in the nose. The other part wanted to feel nothing at all.

Were they using each other? Was this a cat-and-mouse game? Was any of it real? Did she even want to consider that possibility?

Oliver stirred, but he didn't wake. He did, however, shift his body so that his head was buried in the crook of her neck. He inhaled deeply and continued to sleep.

Only then did she smile, when she knew no one was looking.

Who was she to start reading into everything? She made the choice to jump into this and forego thinking. If she continued to react this way every time they had a disagreement _she_ was going to be the one complicating things. Chloe overanalyzed and worried about every other aspect of her life on a daily basis; this, she was going to take as it was. Nothing more or less. She was going to enjoy whatever bout of happiness she could get, and when it was over, she was going to look back with no regrets. So she closed her eyes and let go.

When she woke up, she was alone, and from the feel of the extra blanket material on her side, it had been that way for a while. She held the blanket to her chest as she sat up. Her clothes were strewn along the floor by the couch exactly where she remembered. Slowly, she got dressed and checked her phone. No calls or texts.

Really, she was okay with it.

She sat back against the couch and wrapped the blanket around herself. Watchtower glowed with beautiful, unearthly colors cast by sunlight and stained glass. Strange how she could feel protected, alone in the same place her husband was murdered.

The weeks following Jimmy's death were hard. She'd been so alone. She hadn't felt so abandoned, so empty, in a long time. Her mom had been taken away from her at a young age. Her dad, a struggling single parent, had been in and out of her life until he decided on out. For a time she had Pete and Lana, but they both left Smallville. Then there were the Kents, whom she'd considered her second family. Jonathan died, Martha went to DC, and Clark.. well, Clark Kent no longer existed according to him. Lois was literally trapped in another life, and the Justice League went AWOL. No one was left.

She would have nightmares every night she slept at the Talon, all revolving around Davis and blood. Murder. Loss. She wasn't able to protect anyone. All those years, everything she sacrificed, and she had nothing to show for it. Haunted, she stayed up, trying to escape the visions that came whenever she closed her eyes.

She didn't sleep for almost three days when she finally hopped into her car and drove to Watchtower, a place that held so much grief for her. She didn't know why she went there. It was illogical, she knew, but she had to go. When she stepped into Watchtower, Jimmy's words in his last few moments were like a soft whisper in her ear. No matter where she was in Metropolis, she could look up and see it, feel him watching over her. For the first time in weeks, she felt protected. That's how she found the strength to go on.

The familiar scent of caffeine filled her nostrils. She looked up. Oliver was there.

He handed her a paper cup with a peculiar logo. Little Italy, a gourmet café that was ten minutes' walking distance from Watchtower. She went to take a sip and stopped. "Tell me our working relationship isn't on the fritz."

"If it was, I would've gotten you decaf." He took a seat next to her. He drank from his own paper cup before saying, "Next time you start a fundraising campaign with LuthorCorp as the sole benefactor, will you clue me in? Because I can guarantee Tess won't retaliate with a triple grande skinny almond mocha with extra whip."

She brought her feet up and tucked them under her. "Lesson learned, but I didn't take that loan out for myself, Ollie." It was for the world and all the people who came back into her life. For those people she was willing to deal with the devil herself.

His eyes connected with hers. "I know. I'm saying next time it might be safer--and easier--to just ask me."

She tore her eyes away and concentrated on her cup. She had a feeling this was going to come up. "I didn't want to ask for your money."

He didn't know why she wouldn't look at him, or why it bothered him. "Why not, Chloe? You know I'd have given it to you."

She traced the curve of the lid with her index finger as she spoke. "I wouldn't want to take something I may never be able to give back." At least, not from Oliver.

"I wouldn't ask." He almost smiled at the surprise written across her face immediately after he said that, but he held back. Well, he thought he did.

The initial shock of his statement died when she saw his cheek twitch. She'd learned weeks ago that the cheek-twitching was usually followed by a smile. Which was usually followed by a laugh. If she didn't know any better she would've thought he got a kick out of making her react. "You're just asking to be swindled, Mr. Queen."

* * *

_Present_

Chloe smiled, remembering. That was the day she completely stopped fighting what was happening between her and Oliver and accepted it. More importantly, she accepted that she accepted it, not knowing the outcome.

She supposed the reason she was so resistant was because she was afraid to be anything but what she'd been branded. Jimmy always saw her as a little girl. To Clark, she was his best friend. To the Justice League, she was, as John would say, their "eyes and ears". When Oliver looked at her, she didn't know who she was. And instead of running for the hills, she was standing still, staring right back into those baby browns.

Her breath stuttered. Her eyelids were starting to get heavy. Man, was she tired. If only she could stop shaking, then maybe she could settle down and rest.

She started to rock back and forth, the movement soothing. Reminded her of a hypnotist, actually, trying to calm her so she could go retreat into her mind. She wanted to go back, meld into those memories. She wanted to see him and relive those moments.

* * *

_Three weeks ago_

Chloe couldn't help but smile when her phone went off. She let it ring four times before she answered with a nonchalant, "Hello?"

"Chloe," Oliver's nervous voice rang through the earpiece, "You still at Watchtower?"

She forced the smile away; he would've heard it in her reply. "No. I decided to go back to the Talon and recharge for a few hours."

"So you're not in Metropolis?"

"Just passed the Smallville sign," she said. She waited for his breath of relief before adding, "Luckily I was able to pick up a copy of today's newspaper before heading back into this idle town."

"Oh, really?" he asked, the anxiety back in his voice.

"Really," she said without hesitation.

"You know, you should--you should just throw it.. away--yeah, just toss it out the window. Now."

She paused, giving him ample time to silently kick himself for giving himself up so easily. Still, she played dumb. "Why would I do that?" she asked coyly. "The Daily Planet, for all its internal flaws, has the best crossword puzzles, and I'm really starting to get into the advice column."

"Sure," he said distractedly, "but keep in mind one of those internal flaws happens to be being run by a less-than-nostalgic ex of mine, one who isn't above using speculation about me to sell an extra paper or two."

"Oh, you mean like the headline you landed for giving a substantial donation to Metropolis's Annual Charity Ball for sick children?"

She heard a sigh on the other end of the line. "So you saw it already?" It being the picture of him standing with a Brazilian supermodel in each arm.

"Mm-hmm," she answered, "And I have to say, those women have bright futures in print and runway."

"Chlo-e," he said, exasperated.

"Ol-lie," she mocked in a singsong voice. "You have a reputation to keep up and a secret identity to protect. Landing your playboy mug on the front page was a smart idea." Meaning no one from his business competitors to suspicious bad guys would consider him a threat since he was filling his night life with parties and gorgeous women.

It was silent on his end for a whole two seconds. "You know, this fiasco could've been avoided if you'd just have come with me."

"Right," she said sarcastically. When he asked her to play his date, she flat out told him no. "Getting cozy with you in public when Lois and Clark are completely unaware of what's going on would've been the better alternative." She parked her car behind the Talon but stayed in it.

"Are you saying we should tell them?" Oliver asked.

She was already shaking her head before he was done spitting out the question. "No." Telling them would be making whatever was happening between them more than what it was, and she knew that was something they both didn't need. "Look, it's four in the morning, I just got home, and I'd like to slip into a void of unconsciousness before the sun comes up."

"Okay," he caved. "Get some Z's."

"Thanks. Call you later." She hung up and, grabbing her bag, slipped her phone into a pocket as she got out of her car. Once out, she turned back and gave the paper one last look. Deciding she didn't need it anymore, she slammed the door and started to walk.

It wasn't until she was fifteen feet from the door that she saw a figure standing in front. She stopped abruptly, knocked out of her thoughts. Reflexively her eyes began to scan the person up and down. Not much to tell, facing the back of someone's head. She determined it wasn't Lois, unless her cousin had grown a few inches taller and had short and curly dark hair. That, and the loose clothes over a muscular frame suggested a male stranger. Chloe's brows furrowed. "Who are you and what are you doing here?"

He turned around and all of a sudden the breath whooshed out of her. For a second, all she could do was stare at the face of a man she'd last seen as a boy's. And finally, the name formed from her lips.

"Justin?"

* * *

( Intrigued? )


	4. Three

**Title:** My Undefined  
**Author:** aquaxeyes  
**Rating: **T for sensual scenes  
**Full Description:** Chloe didn't know what was happening between her and Oliver, but when someone from the past resurfaces, she starts to realize how much he really means to her.

* * *

**Author's Notes: **A million thank you's to those who gave me feedback on the last chapter: libra20, Joy Blue, iluvaqt, ChamberlinofMusic, nequam-tenshi, Jeremy Shane, steff, ChloePWNSDollie, XxXLilRedXxX, Haley, whatweareafreaidof, TexasWild, payalf, Valentine'sNinja, Beth-TauriChick, Athena, misfitmary, Dramione Cullen, brittany34, stella2217 and ducky. I had you all in mind as I wrote this. If you do have questions that you want me to answer, please review with your account (there were a few who didn't leave a username for me to reply to.. yikes!).

So I graduated from college this past Saturday, hence why I haven't posted anything until now. The good news is I'll have more time to write! Yay! Thanks for your patience and enjoy the chapter.

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing but the story.

* * *

**Three.**

* * *

Chloe reeled in disbelief. Justin Gaines. One of the first meteor-infected people she'd ever dealt with. The guy who dated her one day and tried to kill her the next. Minus the small signs of aging in his face he was exactly as she remembered. Problem was, she didn't know if that was necessarily a good thing.

He gave a weak smile. "This is so not how I rehearsed this," he confessed, running a hand through his thick brown hair.

Chloe couldn't help it; she instantly took a step back. "What are you doing here?" she asked, her eyes searching for a weapon of some sort to protect herself with.

The weak smile didn't give. "It's kind of a long story," he said, his eyes straying away, "but I was admitted out of Belle Reeve. Trust me when I say it wasn't just about good behavior. They fixed me, Chloe, really fixed me."

She tried not to tremble, but she felt like this conversation was one she'd had with one too many meteor-infected people. "What do you mean by that?" she asked, hoping to at least keep him talking until she came up with an escape plan.

"Oh god," he said, throwing his hand through his hair again. "I'm messing everything up. I'm sorry, it's just.. you're too beautiful in real life."

"If that's your way of complimenting me your skills need some brushing up," she murmured distractedly, mentally cataloguing everything she had in her purse. She was pretty sure she left her taser in her car. The handgun, she left at Watchtower.

He almost laughed but given the seriousness of the situation, didn't. "I see your wit hasn't changed." He took a step toward her. "But I have. Trust me when I say I won't hurt you."

She furrowed her brow. "As much as I'd really like to believe you, I can't take that chance," she said, digging into her bag. She found her phone, dialed 'one'. "I'm sorry."

"Chloe, no," he said, raising his arms. "I could stop you, but I'm not doing that, am I? Please just listen to me."

She hit send anyway.

The phone was out of her grasp in a split second, hovering between them. She saw the screen change. Oliver picked the call up, but she couldn't hear him.

"Justin," she said, fear taking over her as she glanced from her floating phone to him, "Give my phone back."

He looked at her, regret evident on his face. "I can't. I can't until you hear me out."

"I will, once you give me-"

"Chloe," he said, refusing to give in, "Please. Give me the benefit of the doubt."

She saw the look of desperation in his eyes. "Okay," she said, hoping that giving in now would distract him from realizing the phone was in call mode. "Tell me how you got out of Belle Reeve."

He seemed to relax a little. That is, until he began to speak. "See the thing is, while I was there, I realized how inconceivably wrong I was. I killed a man. A man who had done nothing to me. And on top of that, I almost killed you, the one good person in my life."

She paused, not expecting him to say what he did. In the past, "reformed" meteor-infected people claimed to have changed but seldom admitted to the horrible things they'd done. Sasha Woodman came to mind. _She_ had been cured. She'd even been remorseful. She would have lived a nice, normal life if Dr. Knox hadn't killed her.

Justin wasn't cured-her floating cell phone was affirmation enough-but he reminded her of Sasha. Admitting to the pain he caused, apologetic. Her brain was telling her she shouldn't trust what he was saying, but she was starting to doubt. He looked so sincere that it was hard to look away. "So you had.. some sort of epiphany?"

"No. It wasn't an easy process." His eyes became unfocused as he remembered. "When they first brought me in, I was resistant to anyone who tried to help. It took me years to finally own up to what I did; when I did, my doctor helped me cope."

It was hard to envision, especially considering he had murder in his eyes the last time she saw him. "How long have you been out?"

"I was released last year and since then, I've been trying to rebuild my life." He took another step forward. "I thought about you all the time. The way your eyes crinkle when you smile.. I never wanted to put fear in those eyes-"

One second he was standing before her, the next he was crashing into the wall, her phone falling to the ground. Chloe felt a familiar brush of wind sending hair into her eyes and realized what happened.

"Clark, no!" Chloe shouted.

Clark didn't hear her, too intent on making sure Justin didn't get up. "What are you doing out of Belle Reeve?" he asked accusingly, circling his target.

"They let me out," Justin replied, wincing in pain as he got back on his feet and straightened up.

"I don't believe you," he said, reaching to grab him by the collar.

"Clark!" Chloe grabbed her cell phone before rushing over. "Clark, let him go!"

"He had to have escaped, Chloe," Clark said over his shoulder. He lifted Justin off his feet effortlessly. "Belle Reeve would never let a murderer out on the streets."

"He's telling the truth!"

"You don't know that!" Clark boomed.

Chloe drew up to argue but stopped. This had to have been as much a shock to him as it was to her. Unlike hers truly, Clark could recall what happened in his barn all those fateful years ago. He saw what Justin was going to do to her. He had to save her from him because Justin had gone over the edge. There was no easy way for either of them to get over something like that.

She took a deep breath. She and Clark had come a long way in terms of how they dealt with the meteor-infected. Right now, she had to remind him of that. "You're right. I don't. So let's go and check," she said. "If Justin's lying, we'll find proof."

He didn't answer.

"Clark," she called out firmly.

He turned to her, then glanced back at Justin. "I'll be coming for you soon," he warned, letting him go. "In the meanwhile, stay away from Chloe."

* * *

Back at Watchtower, Oliver was pacing. He'd been scrambling to get a hold of Clark after the creepy phone call where he could vaguely hear Chloe's voice. He initially thought she was calling back to invite him over to the Talon. But when he picked up and heard her panicked "you got out of Belle Reeve" and a man's responding voice, he knew something was awry. Jumping the gun he used one of Watchtower's communication lines to dial Clark while staying on the line with Chloe. Miraculously, Clark picked up and, once Oliver told him about the call, rushed off to the Talon. He went back to his cell phone, hoping to catch what was going on, but he only heard a loud crash before the line went dead.

He glanced at his cell phone. No calls or texts.

He wanted to smash his fist against something. How could Chloe stand it, waiting around, making sure every Justice League member out in the field was okay every night? His blood pressure was already skyrocketing, worrying about her. How much trouble was she in? Did Clark make it before the crash?

Oliver felt a rush of wind behind him and turned to see Clark and Chloe standing there. Relief spread through him like wildfire. She looked tired but otherwise no worse for the wear. He wanted to grab her and hold her, make sure she wasn't hurt. But when he saw her warning gaze flicker from him to Clark, he squelched the urge. "Are you all right?" he asked, not being able to prevent the distress from entering his voice.

Chloe looked at Clark, but he seemed too conflicted to notice anything amiss. "I'm fine."

"I was tracking a serial street robber here when you called again; I was too far away," he said. That's why he had to call Clark. There was no way he could've gotten to Smallville in time.

"I was fine," she reassured him, "I overreacted." She walked over to one of the computers, brushing past him in a way that was meant to comfort him, and started to type. "Clark and I just had a blast from the past."

From the disapproving look on Clark's face, a "blast" could've meant anything. He turned, brows knitted. "What do you mean?"

Chloe stepped aside, revealing the file she'd pulled up. "Justin Gaines, Smallville's own Carrie White. He went to Smallville High but was sent to Belle Reeve freshman year when he turned town villain." Another file popped up. She took a second to read and digest it. "He was released in March of last year. It was the truth, Clark."

Oliver glanced back at Clark, whose jaw clenched and unclenched. "What are you getting at?"

She hesitated, but answered. "With his powers, he'd be a great plus-one to the team."

"Chloe," Clark began, "the guy killed our high school principal and he almost killed you."

Oliver looked at her. Clark was saying the same person she wanted to recruit for the Justice League was someone that almost killed her. "Define almost killed."

Chloe blinked slowly. "Okay, admittedly death by chainsaw wasn't my fondest memory of him, but Clark, that was how many years ago? Justin was a confused kid. He was hit by a car, lost motor skills in his hands, then learned he was meteor-infected during rehab."

"Are you saying that I should try to understand where he was coming from?"

She looked at Clark, surprised she even had to explain. "There's no way to fully understand what went through his mind back then. What I gathered from talking to him is that he understands the consequences of what he's done and regrets trying to hurt anyone."

"Well, it's a little too late for Principal Kwan," Clark said, crossing his arms.

"But it isn't too late for Justin." Chloe furrowed her brow, not liking how stubborn the blue-eyed wonder was being. "Clark, when have you ever been this quick to judge someone? No one is absolutely perfect. Justin deserves the benefit of the doubt, and he needs our help."

"And we'll give it, as long as he stays far away from you." Clark made a face that was supposed to show he would brook no argument from her. "I mean it, Chloe."

There was no use in trying to appeal to him. Obviously the intergalactic traveler wasn't willing to concede, and neither was she. "You and I are too biased to make this kind of decision," she determined. "What's your vote, Oliver?"

"Absolutely not." No hesitation. No consideration.

She was visibly shocked by his immediate reply. "Oliver, you know where Justin's coming from." He knew what it was like to reach rock bottom, to lash out at people he cared about. Justin was given an opportunity to turn his life around; Oliver should've known what that was like better than anyone. Her eyes flitted between both men. "What happened to second chances?"

"How can you say a murderer deserves a second chance but have no sympathy toward the Kandorians?" Clark asked.

She deadpanned him. "How is Justin more dangerous than a troop of cloned alien soldiers gearing up to take over the planet?"

"Look, this isn't about the Kandorians," Oliver finally said. "This is about a guy who has a meteor power who could be a danger to others."

Great. Now Clark had convinced him Justin was the anti-Christ. "He's been out of the nuthouse for twelve months and hasn't come across our radar," she pointed out.

"Doesn't mean he's been inactive," Oliver rebuttled. He turned to Clark. "Could you tail him for tonight and make sure he doesn't cause any trouble?"

Clark nodded. "Stay with Chloe and keep her safe," he said right before rushing off.

Chloe turned to Oliver. "Well I'm glad I got through to you two."

"A strange man Clark doesn't like approaches you at four a.m. and I'm supposed to invite him into our do-gooder circle?" he asked. "What did he even want?"

She lowered her gaze. "I don't know. Didn't get the time to ask." She raised her head. "If I could talk to him again-"

Oliver was already shaking his head. "Chloe, there's no way in hell I'm letting that psycho near you."

She reeled. "Harsh much?"

He looked unrepentant. "I heard him on your phone. He sounded obsessed with you." In fact, he sounded too much like Davis Bloome for his liking. Meek and endearing before changing into a destructive monster. Clark's blatant disgust for the guy solidified his conclusion.

She brushed the comment off though she knew where his mind had gone. "We haven't seen each other in years. He was nervous."

"'The way your eyes crinkle when you smile'?" he asked. Besides being peeved that he'd use such a line on Chloe, he thought it was creepy. "Beyond nervous, Chloe. Borderline stalker."

She almost rolled her eyes. "One, I don't think there's anything wrong with someone complimenting me every once in a while for a change, and two, Justin and I were dating before he went Edward Hyde on me."

This time Oliver reeled. "This guy's your ex?" he asked incredulously. How twisted and yet, he should've seen something like this coming.

She nodded. "Now do you get why I said I overreacted?" Justin probably came to her because she was one of the last people he was in contact with before being locked up in Belle Reeve. That was it. She'd gotten scared because she knew what he was capable of but not what he wanted from her.

Oliver, of course, remained obtuse. "Not really."

"Well, it doesn't matter," she said, grabbing her jacket and heading for the door, "I'm going home."

He was standing in front of her in seconds, a wall between her and the exit. "This guy's got meteor-induced telekinesis, a murder record, and an undying fixation on you."

"And I've got a short fuse as a result of serious sleep deprivation," she rebutted, trying to sound threatening.

"Don't make me duct tape you to a chair, Chloe," he warned.

She tried to circle around him and instead was hoisted over his shoulder, fireman's carry style. "Ollie," she warned as he walked toward the couch, "put me down."

He neither listened nor stopped. She made an exasperated sound and wriggled to no avail.

"This is ridiculous!" she exclaimed. "Justin wouldn't be hanging around the Talon after being thrown at it, and Clark's acting out his rendition of Kolchak: The Night Stalker. This is just an excuse to turn caveman and throw me over your shoulder. Sometimes," she said, pausing while he set her down, "you frustrate me."

He held her partly to steady her and partly just to touch her. "Only sometimes?" he asked. He watched her expression sour a little at the question. "Look, you can sleep on the couch like you've done a dozen times before."

She ignored the dig-late night work coupled with his visits resulted in her passing out on the couch these past few weeks. Actually, she ignored everything about his collected demeanor and focused on the look he had on his face when she and Clark first got to the tower. He may have been able to fool other business executives and paparazzi with his wreckless, relentless, live-and-party-hard guise but she understood walls and masks. "I'm sorry I made you and Clark worry."

He hoped she couldn't tell his grip fractionally tightened at her apology. It was strange how she knew what was on his mind and what he needed to hear. She didn't need to be sorry, but it was her way of showing she understood. "Promise.."

He stopped. Promise what? Promise she would try to stay out of trouble? She was Watchtower. She made the decision to be a part of the Justice League with all its risks and obligations. The growing urge to keep her protected couldn't change that.

Looking into her curious eyes, he let out a breath and switched gears. "Am I on speed dial one?"

* * *

Chloe rolled her eyes, her thought process more involving than the familiar path she was taking along the street. Eighteen hours. Eighteen hours stuck in Watchtower before Oliver listened to her and went on night patrol. And that was only after Clark had placed a GPS tracking device in his car. The first ten hours were okay. She spent one hour avoiding the fact that Oliver _was_ one on her speed dial and the other nine hours sleeping. The next eight hours after she woke up were basically her and Oliver talking about anything and anyone else but themselves.

She sighed. It was almost awkward. He could make her laugh and he could make her acerbic tongue work on overdrive. And then, he could make her want to be with him. Every time, it made her retreat so far into herself, hide where it was safe and she felt nothing.

"Hello, young lady."

Chloe immediately brightened at the sound of the street coffee vendor's voice. "Am I glad to see you." It wasn't until after Oliver left that she realized she was out of coffee. She didn't even have any of that backup instant stuff left. And although Oliver told her not to leave Watchtower over nothing less than an emergency, she figured a caffeine withdrawal was a major enough crisis to hit the streets.

The vendor started on her usual. "You're a bit early."

She smiled, sheepish. "Work. It calls for all sorts of hours."

He handed her a cup and she handed him some money. "Try to take it easy, okay?" he advised.

"Will do," she answered, emphasizing the 'try' part in her head.

She was two street intersections away when someone grabbed her from behind and clamped a hand down on her mouth.

* * *

( Yeah? )


	5. Four

**Title:** My Undefined  
**Author:** aquaxeyes  
**Rating: **T for sensual scenes  
**Full Description:** Chloe didn't know what was happening between her and Oliver, but when someone from the past resurfaces, she starts to realize how much he really means to her.

* * *

**Author's Notes: **Thanks to reviewers of the last chapter: Dramione Cullen, ChamberlinofMusic, cara410, joy blue (sorry I didn't respond to your review earlier--thanks for the congrats and hope this chapter answers your expectations!), Haley, iluvaqt, libra20, simplysteff, DragonStar, Madlenita, nequam-tenshi, Staysixkid, and cherryblossom1031. You're all fantastic, and I love hearing from you!

Season finale Chlollie was awesome! That is all.

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing but the story.

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**Four.**

* * *

Chloe bit back the panic swelling into a scream and focused. She was a Lane-Sullivan. Her uncle, The General as Lois called him, taught her a few self-defense tactics ( **A/N: **Progeny. 6X18. ), and since she didn't feel a gun or sharp object pressed anywhere against her body she knew she had a fighting chance. Ducking, she spun out of her captor's grasp and, arm bent, brought her elbow to his face. She didn't waste any time. Automatically, she brought her leg up, kicking him in his stomach. He doubled over, gasping for air.

Adrenaline starting to overpower her, she began frantically searching her pockets until she found a mini tube of mace. Just as she was about to spray her would-be attacker with it, she heard a strangled, "Chloe!"

She hesitated, but kept the spray angled at his face.

One hand over his stomach, the other over the side of his face, he yelped, "Chloe, it's me!"

Her hands shook with the effort to control the energy overflowing within her. Everything had turned blurry the moment she was grabbed, and the logical part of her brain was still trying to catch up. She averted her eyes to the ground, where her cup of rich crème brulee coffee was spilt. Her gaze went to her hands then, and she realized her hand had been scalded in the sequential rush. Finally, she looked at him, pairing the voice with the face.

Sure enough, it was Justin.

She looked at him, eyes wide in shock and anger. "Are you insane?" She almost sprayed him with mace and kicked him where it hurt!

He, too, looked at her in disbelief. "Are you joking?"

She deadpanned him. "You chose an early morning visit on a dark, empty street to reappear in my life and then you grab me from behind and pull me into an alley. I'm beginning to think you've forgotten the concept of a good impression."

He winced and brought his free hand up in defeat. "I'm sorry. I just didn't know if you were being followed, which is something I can't afford right now. God," he bit out, holding his jaw, "When did you learn to break faces?"

"Something I picked up over the years," she lied. Oliver actually taught her that trick. She almost snorted. Even when he wasn't there he was still able to save her.

"Well, now that you know it's me, I need your help," he said, still panting a little. "Are you going to give me the time of day or not?"

She contemplated her options before replying with, "Listening."

He let out a sigh of relief. He looked out at the street and back to her, motioning for her to follow farther down the alley. When they stopped again, he began. "I'm being followed."

"Creepy, isn't it? Sorry," she immediately said, realizing she had no room to criticize. As Watchtower she spent half of her time tracking every Justice League member's move. "Go on."

"I'd been living a normal life up until three weeks ago, when a woman approached me while I was leaving my apartment. She told me she knew about my power, asked if I wanted to put my telekinesis to good use and make a career out of it. Apparently she was recruiting a bunch of people with special abilities, and I just happened to be included in that list."

Chloe blinked. "This woman, what was her name?"

"No name, not even a face," he answered.

"You didn't see who she was?"

He was finally able to straighten up. "She was standing in the shadows, escorted by men in black. And they had guns. Big guns."

She understood how he could be intimidated by that; Justin might have been able to move things with his mind, but he wasn't as fast--nor as invincible--as Clark. "So you told her.. what exactly?"

He smirked. "Gave her a polite 'screw you' and went on my way."

That's it? She arched a brow, doubting it. "She let you walk away without so much as a threat?"

He took a deep breath and let it out before answering. "No, but she hasn't stopped following me since. Those goons were parked outside on my street, on the corner where my job is.. The last straw was when I found a hard-wire bug in my nightstand."

"Escalation," she summarized. Learning his patterns, habits, knowing the people who meant the most to him. They could've been spooking him into caving in or gathering information to create a genuine threat.

He nodded. He almost went on but something caught his eye. "Your hand," he said, moving toward her.

Before Chloe could even protest, she heard a low whistle right before an arrow struck Justin in the neck. She watched his eyes roll back before he closed them and fell. Stunned, she tried to catch him, but her efforts only slowed his fall.

To her left she saw a familiar pair of boots hit the ground. Oliver in all his Green Arrow glory. She looked up at him incredulously. Standing up, she motioned to Justin. "Seriously?"

He shrugged. "You didn't answer when I called," he simply said, his modulator masking the voice but not the attitude behind the words.

"I left my cell back at Watchtower," she replied, then added, "I didn't want to bring a device with a GPS tracker while I snuck out for coffee."

"There's a second tracker in your mace," he calmly said, walking toward Justin.

She threw her hands up in frustration. "You had to check my little field trip out."

"And it's a good thing I did," Oliver stated, unrepentant. "A few seconds later and Psi-Man here would've done some serious damage."

Chloe arched her brow at how close to home he'd hit with the reference. "Despite his less-than-stellar introduction he actually approached me to apologize about earlier and to ask for my help."

He glanced at the brunette, wondering if he'd jumped to conclusions. "You were backing away--"

"I don't like to be touched," she explained, not bothering to clarify that statement, "and he was dangerously close to invading my proverbial bubble."

Oliver was turning sheepish. "Bu--He looked like he was going to, I don't know, hurt you."

She shook her head. "Maybe if you asked first, shot tranquilizer arrows later, you'd know I was finally getting some answers from him."

"Oh. Well.." he trailed. "This is awkward."

Her mouth took on a smirk. "Not as awkward as you'll feel bringing him back to Watchtower."

He deadpanned her. "Chloe--"

"No. No arguments. He's been targeted by an unknown big fish. We need to protect him before she makes her next move." She didn't care if Clark or Oliver thought it was a dangerous situation. Justin was being spied on, which was prerequisite to him getting either kidnapped or killed. If she had the power and resources to help him, she would do it.

Oliver still had some fight left in his expression. "Hey, you were the one who put him down for the count," she said, walking past him. "I'll see you both back up there."

* * *

Even with the extra load Oliver arrived at Watchtower minutes earlier than Chloe. He watched her dot on his GPS grid move slowly toward Watchtower and figured he had enough time. Dropping Justin unceremoniously on a couch, he grabbed a nearby device and started scanning him for bugs or trackers--internal ones included. A quick minute later he proved to be completely clean. Oliver looked at him, trying to process the results, then shrugged. That he was clean meant little to nothing. If the woman who was supposedly monitoring him had the resources to do so, she would find a way to find him without planting anything on him.

Oliver stalked over to Chloe's desk. After digging through her drawer he found what he was looking for. A nearly untraceable, undetectable tracker, made by Chloe herself. He took a second to activate it and, after sifting through the contents of Justin's pockets, stuck it in his key fob just as she arrived.

"He's in one piece," she said, suspicion in her voice.

He stared at her. "I'm trying to figure you out, Chloe," he said, voicing what was on his mind. "As fast as Clark jumped to rip this guy's head off, you've been equally as quick to make sure it stays on." He wasn't anti-forgiveness or anything, but considering what few things she knew about Justin he was suprised she was playing devil's advocate. There was only one other time he'd seen her do something like that, and it didn't turn out very well.

Chloe could see his thoughts as if they were written on his forehead. If she had to sum it up in one word, it would be 'Doomsday'. "Look, Ollie, I know my track record in judgment calling hasn't been the best, but I didn't know what else to do."

Oliver forced his jaw to relax. How did she do that? She could look at him and know what was on his mind, make the kind of connections he kept to himself. Was he losing his edge?

She watched his face morph, trying to make himself unreadable. "I don't want Justin--and his powers--to fall into the wrong hands. Here, we can keep him safe from everyone else and from himself."

"That may be true, but Justin's not exactly a stray puppy." They both turned to look at him, knocked out on the couch. He caught her eye. "Cute and cuddly he may look, but he could make somebody's death look like an accident."

Chloe bit back the "Look who's talking" and went to the nearest computer. "Before I left I started cross-referencing any crimes in the past year that could be related to telekinesis and what Justin's capable of doing. So far I've come up with nothing."

Which would explain why she thought it was okay to bring Justin to Watchtower. He angled his head. "You're convinced he's walking the straight and narrow?"

She placed a hand on her hip. "I'm not convinced of anything, but I'm not going to continue to crucify him over a mistake he made in his past. That kind of logic won't get us anywhere."

He sensed what she wasn't saying. They'd both made their fair share of mistakes. They'd both royally screwed up. If it hadn't been for someone--Chloe--believing in him, he would've ruined his life beyond repair. Before he could say anything, though, movement caught their attention. Justin was beginning to stir.

"Justin?" Chloe turned and walked to the couch. When she reached the brunette she got on her haunches to face him. "Hey, it's me."

His eyes were half mast. "Chloe," he murmured before leaning forward and pulling her into a kiss.

Chloe froze, shocked. Part of her wanted to reel back and hit him, but the other part was sure the tranquilizer from Oliver's arrow was playing with his mind. She pulled away cautiously. "Justin, it's 2010. Wake up."

"Wha..?" he asked, struggling to open his eyes.

"Come on, wake up," she said, trying to get him sit up.

She turned to ask Oliver to help her, but he was gone.

* * *

_"..Various sources are saying The Blur trapped the bank robbers by using their own chain links to wrap them around a city streetlight seconds before racing in front of a bus that almost hit an elderly man who fell and broke his hip in the middle of Henry Avenue. We'll have the exclusive interview with Patrick Humphrey tomorrow night. Over to you, Melissa."_

_"Thanks, Steve. Tonight is a big night for Metropolis University. A LuthorCorp executive was a guest speaker on running a multibillionaire company specializing in biotechnology. We have Susan Wilkinson on the campus right now. Susan, can you fill us in on what's happening?"_

_"Melissa, Steve, I am standing outside of Kline Lecture Hall, where over two hundred students came to see LuthorCorp's current CEO, Tess Mercer, talk business. __Topics that were discussed included global strategies, creating value in the value chain, and how the merge with Queen Industries has resulted in new synergies. Met U students in the business concentrations found this to be as beneficial as a semester of lectures. Oh, it looks like Tess Mercer is making her exit with her date in tow--Oliver Queen of Queen Industries!"_

Chloe's eyes slid upward in time to see Tess walking out of the lecture hall, arm in arm with Oliver on the screen in front of her. Tess looked like she always looked at important functions, beautiful and blank. Oliver, well.. Of course he was handsome in a suit. He even had the current newscaster spellbound--the ones back in the studio were trying to give mundane facts about Oliver and the company to fill in the gap.

Chloe focused on his face as he came closer to the camera. No tension. The newscaster started firing questions at him. No actual emotion in his voice. He was practically as blank as Tess. The redhead leaned over and whispered something in Oliver's ear while the newscaster was gushing. Whatever she said, it made him laugh.

So she was bound to feel awkward watching Oliver escort his ex-lover around, watching them interact far more intimately than regular business partners. What she didn't expect was for her to start questioning herself. Did she do something to make him act the way he was, live on channel four? Was it because Justin kissed her in his dazed and confused stupor? Or did he find Tess's company refreshing? Tess was a stark contrast from Chloe; tall, redheaded, sensual, dark. She ran an understatedly big company and she'd gone places in her life. She was more Oliver's match than a short, computer geeky blonde who'd rarely stepped out of Kansas.

"Something wrong?"

The voice came from so far away she jumped. She turned, saw Justin standing there. He was showered, in fresh clothes, and in better condition than he was the day before. "What makes you say that?"

"You stopped typing," he noted.

She blinked. He was definitely more alert than yesterday. "Got lost in my thoughts," she said, sort of telling the truth. Before he could start interrogating her, she went back to her keyboard and switched the news for her research on the screen. "I've put my feelers out there, but it's pretty hard to dig up anything substantial based on your description of a mysterious woman in the shadows."

He winced. "Sorry. I've been pretty much useless."

"No--"

"It's true. I can't give you much to work with, and I've pretty much alienated you from your friends."

Chloe bit her lip. Gee, was it the fact that Clark wasn't very happy to see Justin in Watchtower a few hours earlier or that he and Green Arrow hadn't been responding to her messages that gave it away? Well, it didn't matter. They'd been in disagreements before. Somehow they found ways to resolve those disagreements, and this would be no different.

A thought struck her then. Wouldn't it be different? Clark wouldn't budge on his opinion, which was a first, and her and Oliver.. were different now.

She kept her eyes on the screen and like magic, something popped up. Finally, something to immerse herself in. She took a few seconds to read silently then turned to Justin. "Looks like Shadow Woman gave up waiting. Someone broke into your apartment." His security alarm only fluctuated for a minute and a half but she knew it wasn't a coincidence.

His jaw clenched. "When?"

"An hour ago. Uncertain if anything was stolen." She turned to him. "Do you have anything at your place worth giving yourself up for?"

He shook his head. "No."

Chloe thought to herself. "I'd still like to go over and scope the place out. Maybe I can use one of the bugs they planted and trace the origin--"

"Chloe, it's not safe," Justin said, stern. He even crossed his arms for added emphasis.

She refused to waver. "Whoever broke in came and left. I doubt anyone's going to double back tonight."

"Why can't you get Clark or one of your other superstuds to go check it out?"

She ignored the dig and went for her peacoat. "Like you so diligently noticed my friends are otherwise occupied." Oliver was out with Tess playing rich and flirty bachelor and Clark was probably going to ignore her calls for the rest of the night. She might have been able to call on someone else, but she didn't want to compromise any more Justice League identities than was necessary.

She slipped her coat on and turned to him. "Feel like going on an adventure?"

* * *

( Yes? No? )


	6. Five

**Title:** My Undefined  
**Author:** aquaxeyes  
**Rating: **T for sensual scenes  
**Full Description:** Chloe didn't know what was happening between her and Oliver, but when someone from the past resurfaces, she starts to realize how much he really means to her.

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**Author's Notes: **Thank you very much to reviewers of the last chapter: Dramione Cullen, pompeypearly, cara410, Joy Blue, brittany34, Madlenita, DonStella, simplysteff, libra20, Lady Lemons, SerialLover, raqi, XxXLilRedXxX, Haley, ElizabethV, lilia44540, Jeremy Shane, vmikaelian, shaybay55, Staysixkid, NickyLee308, jjmjlr12, JT Jones and Sophie. I know I didn't get around to responding to everyone, but I am so grateful for your words of support! You make me smile, laugh, and make me think about the story and the characters in ways I didn't before. You're why I keep writing.

This chapter is dedicated to my fellow Smallville addict, **libra20**, who let me vent about TPTB duct-taping Chloe on a thousand mile roller coaster ride. Hope you like it!

I'm very saddened to hear Allison Mack won't be a regular for Season 10. Guess I won't have to make sure I'm home in front of the TV _every_ Friday night then.

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing but the story.

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**Five.**

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Justin's apartment was turned upside down. Chloe assumed it was set up to look like breaking and entering. Every chair was knocked over, kitchen drawers thrown to the floor. It was even worse in his bedroom. His bed sheets were crumpled in a corner and his mattress was cut through.

"What exactly are we looking for again?" he asked, suppressed anger evident in his voice.

Chloe picked a lamp off the floor and set it on his nightstand. "Any type of device they could've planted to keep tabs on you."

He stepped away from his closet and the mountain of clothes in front of it. "Do you really think we'll find anything in this mess?"

She bit her lip. They'd been looking for an hour already. Nothing had turned up. It was strange. She thought with all of her investigative skills on the computer, she could come up with some physical proof of someone else's existence at his apartment. Guess she was wrong. Maybe she was better off asking Oliver for help-

She stopped herself from further barreling down that train of thought. Oliver _very maturely_ decided to be Tess's date for the night. She had no choice but to try looking for herself.

Well, it didn't matter. Even with Justin's help they had zilch. Justin was looking at her, waiting for an answer. Better to be honest with him and herself, even if she couldn't shake the feeling that at this very moment, they were being watched. "No. Any trace of Madame Noir's presence in your life was probably removed."

He went to his dresser, pulling the one drawer left undisturbed. "I don't understand. Why would her people break into my apartment if they knew I wasn't home?"

"Blackmail, perhaps? If they found something to use against you, the chase would be over for them," she said, trying to scan for anything that stood out. Eventually, her eyes rested on his desk. "Justin, do you have a laptop?"

"Yeah," he said, giving up on the drawer.

"Where is it?"

"Living room," he said, and followed her to it.

She was surprised she didn't notice it before, but when she walked back into the living room, there it was, right next to the upturned coffee table. As she was leaning over to grab it, she felt a brush on her arm like a hair grazing ever so lightly against her skin. She whipped around just as a woman appeared out of thin air and lunged at Justin. She watched them both go down, hitting the floor hard, and reached for her taser.

"Chloe!" Justin cried out.

She looked up in time to see the coffee table fly up in front of her and a dagger pierce it a second later. She sucked in a quick breath. If Justin hadn't moved the table to cover her, her face would've been split in two. The coffee table fell with a crash, only for a three-seat couch to replace obstructing her view. "Get down!" he shouted.

Chloe's heart raced as she crouched down, hands finally getting a hold of her taser. Things were being thrown at her. Some hit the couch, some hit the wall mere feet away from her head. She heard a loud thump-a body hitting the wall maybe?-and some drywall cracking.

"Enough!" a female voice said.

For the most part, movement ceased, and it was silent for all of five seconds. The female voice continued. "You might be able to move things with your mind, Kinetic Boy, but I can get into your head. You can't protect your girlfriend and fight the both of us off."

"Oh yeah?" Justin asked, his breathing heavy, "Why not?"

A sharp laugh pierced the air and cut off abruptly. "Put Camille down, little boy. Gently."

Chloe heard a pair of shoes touch the ground. She inhaled deeply. This was it, now or never. She had one chance to shoot the telepathic woman down before they could overpower Justin. Part of her wished she had a plan, but there was no time for thinking. She counted to three, jumped up and took the shot.

There were moments in her life where things actually went right. The exhilaration Chloe felt as the taser struck the woman controlling Justin in her shoulder proved it was one of those moments.

Electricity jolted through the woman and she shook uncontrollably. The distraction helped Justin break out of her control.

"Kacey!" the other woman, Camille, shouted. She moved to help her comrade but Justin used his power to throw her against a wall, knocking her out.

Once Kacey hit the floor, Chloe cut the electricity and retracted the taser. She looked up at Justin. He was still panting, and a little bit of blood was trickling down his forehead. Despite that, he asked, "Are you all right?"

Chloe nodded, moving toward him. "You're bleeding."

He waved her concern off. "It's nothing."

She doubted it, but she wasn't going to argue. Picking up his beat up laptop, she said, "Let's get back to Watchtower before these two wake up."

* * *

Oliver sighed, watching the buttons representing each floor light up as he ascended in the elevator. Getting closer to Watchtower. Closer to Chloe.

He ran a hand through his hair and loosened his tie. He had no idea what he was going to say to her, especially since he left so abruptly yesterday. He couldn't help it, though. Watching her kissing some other guy was.. a little too much for him to just stand there and handle. Granted, it wasn't her fault-Justin was the one who initiated it-but it wasn't only about that. It was about everything he was starting realize.

When he needed advice, he went to Chloe. When he was bored, he called her up. When he was tired, angry, happy, confused, and any other general state known to man, he thought of her. More and more, she was becoming his conscience, and he found himself baffled by the gravitational pull he felt toward her. Like a planet to the sun, revolving. He wasn't used to relying on another person, or stammering around her so much. It felt like he was harboring a school boy crush on her, which is exactly why he ran off the other day. He needed some space, something to remind himself of who he was without Chloe Sullivan in his life.

He shouldn't have left her with Justin, or without saying goodbye. He shouldn't have convinced himself to offer to be Tess's escort at that dumb college thing. Those were immature choices, in part his way of retaliating against the jealousy he felt.

He heard the elevator ding right before the doors opened. He stepped out, still thinking about how he was going to explain that playing the redhead's date _was _just about representing his half of their joint venture when the sound of voices made him pause midstride.

Chloe and Justin. He knew that, but it was the sound of her laughter that caused the hesitation for him to reveal himself.

Of course he'd heard her laugh before, but it had been a while since someone other than he had been the reason. He peeked around the corner and saw Justin sitting on a desk, patiently waiting as Chloe peeled a bandage. "Married, huh?" he asked. "What was that like?"

Her back was turned to Oliver, but he could practically see her bite her lip as she began to apply the bandage to Justin's head. "Wonderful. Chaotic."

Justin winced as she pressed the bandage on. "Paint a picture for me."

"When Jimmy proposed, I was dragged away by the psuedo-government before I could say yes." Chloe stepped back, checking her work. Oliver could tell her eyes flickered back to Justin's by the way Justin's light-hearted expression changed. "Months later, I was kidnapped by a mighty-morphing monster on our wedding day, the same monster who killed him moments after we'd reconciled the rifting problems we had."

It was like time had froze. Oliver leaned back, remembering what happened. Davis killed Jimmy. Back then, Oliver wanted to blame Clark and blame Chloe. He remembered standing across her at Jimmy's funeral, wanting her to see what she'd done. But watching her in all that agony made him realize she wasn't the one who'd driven a pipe through Jimmy. She didn't know how to fight; Jimmy was protecting her when everyone else left her there, defenseless. He knew she would've given her life to save him.

"Chloe.." Justin trailed, knocking him out of his thoughts. Justin pressed his lips firmly, then said, "At least Clark was there to help you through it."

"Actually, he wasn't." Chloe turned and began to clean up. She'd hoped she was strong enough to say that without being flooded by memories, but she knew her voice faltered right at the end. "Clark went MIA for a few weeks after Jimmy died."

And she'd had to deal with everything on her own. The permanent loss of a love and friendship she had with Jimmy since the summer after freshman year of high school. Lois's disappearance. The Justice League dubbing her untrustworthy for trying to save Davis. The knowledge that her efforts led to Jimmy's death and estranged her from her friends. The not knowing if she would ever see Clark again.

She had been in a lot of pain.

It was like Justin could see it in her eyes, fresh like the day her world had been thrown in a blender. "How did you do it?"

Once she was able to find her normal voice again, she asked, "Do what?"

"Recover from.. everything?"

"I learned from my mistakes. I tried to save Jekyll from Hyde and in the end Mr. One-And-The-Same killed Jimmy." She picked up the trash and moved it to the nearest garbage can. "I thought I had everything under control. It took watching my husband die in my arms to realize what my compassion amounted to."

Oliver's jaw clenched. Chloe hated the very thing that made her Chloe.

Justin's brow furrowed, mirroring Oliver's reaction. "Chloe, it's your compassion that saved me over and again. You were the only one who kept e-mailing me when I was in the hospital after the accident. You hung out with me when I finally got back to school, and you cared about me even after you found out I was Wall-of-Weird material." Chloe smiled at the reference, but Justin refused to be distracted. "I know what you're doing," he said. "You're shutting everyone out, using work as a way to stop feeling."

"I'm doing what I can to help save the world and everyone I care about-everyone that's left," she rephrased.

"You're trying to keep yourself safe," Justin shot back. He waited a moment for his words to sink in. "I can understand wanting to put your feelings on the back burner, but they're not meant to be ignored or somehow replaced. All that suppressed emotion needs an outlet. It's the only way to stay sane."

"Okay. I'll take your words of wisdom under consideration." She started to walk away, then returned. Putting a hand on his, she said, "Thank you. It's not often I'm able to open up like that, so thanks."

Oliver waited for a whole four seconds before making his presence known. "I'm not interrupting anything, am I?" he said as he strolled in.

Chloe slid her hand away with ease she couldn't quite display on her face. "Not at all. We've got some new information about Justin's case," she said, walking over to one of the computers.

He watched as she mentally began to compose herself, rewrapping the layers she'd peeled down in front of Justin, as she brought two profiles to the screen. "Camille Morgan and Kacey Franklin. Both were patients at Hillcrest Manor, Detroit's version of Belle Reeve. Camille has the special ability to blend into her environment, kind of like a walking green screen, while Kacey demonstrated strong telepathic abilities, best exemplified when she had her brother shoot his girlfriend in cold blood. After four years in the can they were released, though the paperwork looks about as genuine as pleather."

"Oh pleather, the great fashion mishap," Oliver jested.

Chloe continued. "They're not associated with any organizations, but they were obviously recruited the same way and by the same person."

"The mysterious Lady of the Shadows," Oliver stated. He crossed his arms. "How did you come across this information?"

Chloe turned to him, an unrepentant look already on her face. "Justin and I conducted a little primary research-"

"You ran into them," Oliver said, overenunciating each word. Chloe didn't have the sense to look sheepish.

"More like Camille ran into me," Justin corrected after five seconds at a standstill.

When Oliver drew up to start a spiel about Chloe's safety, she cut him off. "Before you get all worked up this field trip also was my idea, and he was the one unfortunate enough to have to deal with both of them."

He could've argued, but Chloe was standing there alive and unharmed. Instead of fighting, he firmly said, "Next time, you need to let someone know where you go."

She didn't dwell on the comment, and that got to him. Was she crazy, going out into a potentially dangerous zone with Mr. Stalker as her wingman? He wasn't able to protect her when she needed help once already.

Justin broke the silence again. "Chloe, I'm calling it a night. I'll be in that room you showed me," he said. Before he passed Oliver, he added, "Although I've probably got enough sleep to last another day." In reference to the tranquilizer Oliver buried in Justin's neck.

Oliver waited until after the door shut to hiss, "You told him about me?"

"I didn't tell him anything about you," she said. She turned to her computer. "Neither you nor your alter ego came up in conversation."

He heaved a sigh.

"You know what I mean," she added, trying to assure him the comment wasn't intended to offend him. "Justin's quick on the uptake. He must've figured it out."

"I guess he's got us both figured out," Oliver said.

She turned back to him. "Eavesdropping, thy name is Ollie."

"Says the woman who screens my personal e-mail," he bit out.

Chloe stared at him for half a second before saying, "Touché".

He was definitely not expecting her to say that. He stared into her green eyes questioningly. "That's it?"

Chloe walked over to her desk, trying to find a paper or file to occupy her eyes. Anything to not have to look at the handsome man whose focus was zoned in on her. It wasn't like he was intentionally getting to her; sometimes, she couldn't take the heat in his eyes. "Look, I get it. We're looking out for each other, but it _is _getting excess. I'll stop going through your e-mail."

He took a few steps toward her, watching her fuss with papers he knew she'd already organized. "Not necessary."

"But I won't anyway."

He shrugged. "Thanks." He waited for her to drop her papers, straighten, and look at him half-surprised, half-expectant. Keeping his face casual, he asked, "What?"

"That's it?" she asked incredibly.

It took him all his strength not to crack a smile. "Were you expecting me to say I'd ease up on your ex in exchange for my e-mail privacy?"

Caught. She tried to feign nonchalance. "You could put it that way."

"Sorry, but your one act of kindness isn't a bargaining chip," he said, turning to the computer screen. He started rereading Camille's profile. He got to about her middle name before hearing Chloe sigh.

"Ollie," she simply said.

He smiled then, and angled his head back to her. "I'll give him the benefit of the doubt."

She breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you."

"Don't get me wrong, Chloe," he said. He wasn't doing her any favors. He wasn't going to play nice with Justin for her; he was doing this for himself. "The sooner we can get him out of your hair, the better."

And things would go back to their normal, chaotic course with the two of them at the forefront, holding everything else at bay.

* * *

Justin didn't bother checking his door before firing up the computer in his room. He knew Chloe wouldn't come check on him with her friend around. He shook his head as he waited for everything to load. Oliver Queen. Who knew a rich guy like him could actually be a bow-and-arrow-toting superhero?

He was logged on to his instant messenger for three seconds before receiving a message.

**_Unknown_**: What is your status?

He smirked. Right down to business, then.

**_JustinSane_**: Successful. She brought the laptop to Watchtower herself, just like you predicted. You should be receiving Watchtower's information soon.

**_Unknown_**: Well done.

Justin paused. He knew that was high praise, but he didn't know how well the next bit would go over.

**_JustinSane_**: I have bad news, unfortunately.

**_Unknown_**: We're under attack.

**_JustinSane_**: Yes. She is trying to find the source, but I have a feeling you already know who it is.

**_Unknown_**: Yes.

**_JustinSane_**: How would you like me to proceed?

**_Unknown_**: Her information will be our information. Let her find them. But make sure she can't trace them back to us.

**_JustinSane_**: Understood.

He was about to log off when he remembered something.

**_JustinSane_**: One more thing. There's been a new development between Watchtower and Green Arrow.

**_Unknown_**: Confirmed?

**_JustinSane_**: Observed.

**_Unknown_**: I see. Keep me posted.

He signed off and shut the computer off. "Will do."

* * *

( Still curious? )


	7. Six and Epilogue

**Title:** My Undefined  
**Author:** aquaxeyes  
**Rating: **T for sensual scenes  
**Full Description:** Chloe didn't know what was happening between her and Oliver, but when someone from the past resurfaces, she starts to realize how much he really means to her.

* * *

**Author's Notes: **The last chapter! Tons of thanks to reviewers of the previous chapter: Rebel Magnus, simplysteff, XxXLilRedXxX, brainchild, kim, iheartBL, batgirl2992, epic sweetness712, Jeremy Shane, libra20, Snapplelinz, Madlenita, jmmjlr12, bluchampaegne, Lady Lemons, katheryn, vmikaelian, nequam-tenshi, smallville12, and ChamberlinofMusic.

Instead of watching the season 10 premiere I worked on this story last night, so don't tell me what happened until Sunday, when I get the time to see it!

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing but the story.

* * *

**Six.**

* * *

_Present_

chloe. Chloe. Chloe Sullivan. CHLOE!

Chloe's eyes flew open. She was back in the dark room again. It was like opening her eyes underwater, the scene rippling before her. And then she realized she wasn't breathing.

Forcing her mouth open, she gasped, racing to the surface. Air rushed into her lungs as she made it to consciousness. Too much. It was too much. She coughed, air coming in too fast. Who knew you could drown on air?

After taking what seemed like hours to get her bearings, she let herself think. Just a second ago, she thought she heard Oliver's voice, as real as though he'd been whispering in her ear. He sounded urgent, worried. Like he was trying to reach her but couldn't.

She shook her head stiffly. Her mind was playing tricks on her. She need to face the reality of her situation. She couldn't feel her limbs anymore. They weren't cold, or heavy. No pinpricks. Nothing. At least she wasn't shivering anymore. She was almost finished turning into a statue. No one was going to save her.

She exhaled slowly. For the first time in hours she whispered something into the blackness.

"I.. wish.. I'd told you."

She wished she'd told Oliver what he did for her. He saved her in a profound way. He made her laugh. He made her see hope in the world. He made her want things she was depriving herself of. He gave her all the things she wanted. Acceptance. Respect. Trust. Friendship. Passion. Work and play, he was someone she could do both with. When she saved him by orchestrating the whole situation with Roulette, she never expected him to return the favor tenfold. Truly, he was the kindest, gentlest man who knew and could handle who she was.

If only she'd told him what he meant to her instead of waiting until all she had left were memories of his face.

* * *

_Less than a day ago_

Oliver stood in the middle of Chloe and Lois's apartment, fighting the itch not to snoop. He was waiting for Chloe who, hours earlier, called simply to say, "Victor's with Justin at Watchtower. I told him I wanted to take the night off." He would have to be an idiot to miss what she meant.

What he didn't get was how she'd been acting lately. After their conversation at Watchtower, Chloe submerged herself back into her work, which included coffee runs and Justin. What it did _not _include was food, sleep and him. He was fine without the mind-warping sex-really, he was-but Chloe was ignoring him. Granted, it wasn't like the last time when she dropped almost all communication between them, but it was enough for him to notice and develop a bit of concern.

And today he received her electronic request for vacation time a few weeks from now. What was going on? Where was she planning on going? What was she going to do?

He thought they were a team and, with all that happened in the past few months, he thought she'd be more open. Did she not trust him again?

He took a few steps toward the fireplace when he noticed a brochure on the coffee table. He picked it up.

McDougal Inn. It was a small, quaint place in the middle of nowhere. Free breakfast, backwoods to take romantic walks-

He paused. Romantic walks. Chloe had a brochure about a relatively unknown inn for free breakfast and romantic walks. He exhaled sharply. She'd never asked for vacation time before. She'd never even expressed the want to take a break from their work. Now she wanted a chain of overnight stays with romance and food.

_It had to be Justin_..

The very thought of Justin and Chloe running off to that stupid inn together had him seething. Justin had been a pain in the ass since the day he showed up and inserted himself into their lives. He had Chloe wrapped around his finger with his awful one-liners and nostalgic high school memories. Distractedly, Oliver's fingers closed around the brochure.

A throat clearing made him stop and turn around. Chloe stood by the door, hand still on the knob. "That was mine, you know."

_Embarassing. _"Sorry." As she closed the door and started to free herself of her jacket and coat, Oliver tried his best to uncrumple the brochure. It was easier than trying to figure out what to say next. He went with something slightly irrelevant. "Where's Lois?"

"On another adventure with our favorite farm boy. I think Clark calls it a date."

"Do you have feelings for him?" he blurted out. When he saw Chloe reel he decided that wasn't the _smoothest _way to ask a question like that. He wasn't going to apologize for it, though. The question had been bugging him for a while. The only way to make it go away was to get an answer from the one person who could provide one.

He just wished the school boy feeling would quit washing over his body. How immature, his mind rebuked himself, asking a girl if she liked another boy. Yet he had to ask. It was important, and it wasn't important-or at least it wasn't supposed to be important. Either way, he felt stupid throwing a question at her that left him vulnerable. But it was hard to figure out where they stood since Chloe wasn't the typical woman who acted in a fairly predictable way.

Chloe slipped her shoes off, processing the reasoning behind his question-a question she was sure was in reference to Justin Gaines. All she could come up with was that Oliver was one part confused and two parts jealous. She understood the confused bit-she was completely confused in terms of what they were-but jealous? Slowly, she walked toward him, watching desire burn at the same pace. The start of a dangerous, addictive game. Before she could get caught up in it, she answered the best way she could. Truthfully. "Yes, I have feelings for Justin."

Oliver furrowed his brow. She admitted it. Then how could she say that and start what suspiciously looked like her infamous seductive slow-walk toward him? He had to clear his throat of the sudden dryness, clear his mind of her beautifully promising intention."Care to expand on that?"

She stopped in front of him. She undid the top button of his shirt. "Justin and I have history together." Another button. "We dated." Two buttons. "He understood me on a deeper level, just like he does now-"

Oliver caught her wrist in his hand. She looked up at him, realizing he didn't want her to ignore how serious he was being. Even the promise of bedtime fun wasn't a good enough distraction. She looked down at the brochure, sitting crinkly on the coffee table, and back at him. _Oh_.

It didn't take her long to put two and two together. Oliver saw the brochure. He then asked about Justin. The jealousy bit made sense now. He thought.. _wow_. Matching his eyes, all playfulness gone, she said, "I care about him and respect him because he's a good person. I like him because he's a good friend."

He wasn't placated. "_I'm_ a good friend."

She stared at him. Was he really trying to compare night and day? Sure, Justin was a good friend, but she didn't trust him with her life-and more importantly the lives of the world. She didn't banter with him, fight passionately with him. Oliver Queen was her partner in justice. He was the man she chose to sleep with. He was the one that got her. Softly, she said, "You're more than that, Oliver."

He let go of Chloe's wrist and stared back. The depth in her eyes made her words come to life. She didn't have anything more than platonic feelings for Justin. Finally, an answer that put him at ease. "Sorry. He's your ex. I had to ask."

She bit back a smile, unsure of whether or not she hid it. "I've been pretty tolerant about the exes who are still in your life, considering I dislike one and I'm related to the other," she said, taking a seat on the couch.

"Don't rub it in," he said. Now relaxed, he joined her on the couch. "So this vacation at McDougal Inn was.."

"My idea of an escape from the city. And friends. And co-workers. And your ever-vigilant fans, the paparazzi," she said, completing his statement.

He reeled. _My _fans? "You were planning a trip for _us_?"

Chloe smiled and took his hand. "Don't take this the wrong way, but Ollie," she said, giving him a light kiss, "you can be so blonde."

* * *

_Domo arigatou, Mr. Roboto, domo. Domo. Domo arigatou, Mr. Roboto, domo. Domo._

_..wanna see me doin' my thing. All you gotta do is plug me into high. I said high._

Chloe shot up a millisecond before Oliver did.

_Domo arigatou, Mr. Roboto. Domo arigatou, Mr. Roboto. Domo arigatou, Mr. Roboto._

_High voltage rock 'n' roll. High voltage rock 'n' roll._

Chloe grabbed her cell phone from her nightstand at the same time Oliver fished his out of his jeans pocket. Simultaneously, they greeted, "Hello?"

At first, there was no response. Oliver flicked the light on the nightstand lamp on. Chloe called out, "Victor?"

When he didn't respond again, she hung up and waited for Oliver to put his phone on speaker. They could hear breathing. Though part robot, Victor Stone still respired. Judging by how often and how heavy he was respiring, he was running. Oliver, more alert, asked, "What's happening Cyborg?"

"It's Justin. He took off after he got a call from an unknown number on the cell phone we gave him. One of his co-workers has been kidnapped."

They flung out of bed, reaching for clothes. "You couldn't stop him?" Chloe asked, reaching under the bed for Oliver's back-up Green Arrow gear.

"Let's just say having telekinetic powers redefines hysterical for me," came the response. "I'm still feeling the computer monitor he chucked at my head."

"Sorry," she said, only able to imagine what else Justin tore apart.

"Not your fault, Chlo," he said. "Look, he jammed the elevator on the main floor by pushing the emergency stop button, but I'm heading down the stairs-"

"Reverse course, Robot Man," Oliver interrupted. "I planted a tracker on him. You should be able to uncover his destination plans with our computers."

He saw Chloe stiffen for half a second as she pulled her shirt on. She didn't say anything, which mean that although she wasn't exactly happy he took the precaution, she was glad they could use the tracking device to find Justin.

"Where are you guys at?" Victor asked, breaking the thin ice.

His eyes flickered to her. "Smallville. Don't worry, we'll make it."

"Okay," Victor said. "I'll call you when Justin's dot stops moving."

When they were fully dressed, Chloe turned to him. What she said next, he didn't expect. "Mr. Roboto?"

"What?" he asked defensively. As they were rushing out of the apartment, he said, "It's a thematic song. More popular than High Voltage."

Chloe deadpanned him. "If it's so popular you'd think more people would know it was Styx. No one would mistake AC/DC for Queen."

* * *

They sped into Metropolis in record time, Oliver flooring it the entire way. Chloe didn't mind. The clock was ticking, and every second was another second lost for finding Justin. She didn't want to admit it, especially to Oliver, but she was really worried. She and Oliver were too busy playing hookie from their jobs to be there when Justin was contacted. Now they were playing catch-up, and she didn't like the idea of being even a single step behind.

She watched the street lights fly by, breathing through the adrenaline pumping through her system. Her stomach churned. Something awful was going to happen. She could feel it.

Oliver started dialing Victor's number and set his phone on speaker. He didn't like how quiet Chloe had been, but he knew she was stressed, concerned for Justin. He just hoped she had enough faith in him and the League to help save the brunette and his co-worker.

"I got him," Victor reported upon answering. "He's heading toward Main and Benson."

"Not the most upscale area," Chloe commented as Oliver took a quick right.

"Yeah. I think he's going for the corner diner. It closed down a few months ago."

"A showdown?" Oliver asked in his modulated voice. "How cliché."

"There's more," Victor said. He paused for a while, then added, "I was able to trace the call on his cell. Kacey Franklin ring a bell?"

Chloe glanced at Oliver. Oh, no. "She's a telepath, with a friend who can camouflage herself. I believe they may be working for a woman who wants to turn Justin to the Dark side."

"Not good," Victor interpreted. "How far away are y-"

Oliver barely saw the body flying fifty feet in front of him before stomping on his brakes. Car tires screeched, burning into the road. They stopped two feet away from Justin, flinging back into their seats so hard Oliver, at least, thought he might have concussed them both. He turned to Chloe. "Are you all right?"

She was breathing hard, but she nodded. Half-dazedly, she unbuckled her seat belt and climbed out of the car. He joined her, walking around the car to Justin's prone form. "Justin?" she asked, turning him on his back.

Justin was knocked out cold. His right arm hung oddly, indicating a dislocated shoulder. He had broken glass in his hair, and his face was scratched up from skidding on the road.

Oliver looked from him to the empty diner. "Wait here," he told her, and ran into the diner.

It was dark. His eyes were taking forever to adjust. As he stepped in further, he heard a small crunch of glass. He brought his arm up in time to block a blow from a woman dressed head to toe in gray. She went for another blow, but he deflected and backed away. "Camille, I presume?" he asked.

"The infamous Green Arrow," she said, scoffing. "Am I supposed to be impressed?"

"I don't care," he said, breaking into offensive. They fought back and forth, neither getting the upper hand, until he backed her into a corner. He went for a right hook when she suddenly disappeared. All around him he could hear laughter, but whenever he turned to confront Camille she wasn't there.

In the meanwhile Chloe held Justin's wrist, checking for his slowing pulse. "Come on, Justin. Wake up."

"What do we have here?"

The voice made Chloe jump. To her left, Kacey emerged from the side of the diner. In all black, she looked like she'd been part of the shadows, parting only to confront her. Chloe's heartbeat picked up the pace. Where was Oliver?

Oliver didn't see her until it was too late, and he was crashing into an upturned table. His body screamed in pain for a second, but he ignored it in order to defend himself from Camille's series of attacks. Every time he thought he had her, she would disappear and send him off-balance to the other side of the room.

In the distance he heard a shout from a voice all too familiar to him. Chloe. She was in trouble.

"You're the girl from his apartment, the one who tasered me," Kacey stated. When Chloe didn't deny it, she smirked. "What's a normal, pretty little thing like you doing with a meteor freak? Don't you know he'll only bring pain and death?"

Chloe stood up and stepped in between the telepath and the telekinetic. "Justin is nothing like you."

The smirk lifted into a darker smile. "He will be." With that, she ran at Chloe. Chloe cried out in shock. They both toppled to the ground, Chloe on the bottom. The wind was knocked out of her. She tried to fight back, but Kacey grabbed her by the neck and started to squeeze.

Oliver planted his back against the wall, gasping for air. Enough. He wasn't going to let some cocky amateur get the best of him. Taking an open stance, he grabbed an arrow from his quiver, nocked it on his bow, drew up to his anchor point and closed his eyes. He cleared his mind of everything-of his past, of Justin, of fighting, of Chloe-and focused. Archery saved his life from the very beginning, and it was what would save him now. And when the moment finally came, he opened his eyes and took the shot.

Two seconds later, Camille dropped to the ground, knocked out by the tranquilizer in his arrow. Oliver shuffled past her without another thought and climbed out of the broken window of the diner only to see another woman sitting on top of Chloe, choking her.

Oliver pulled another arrow out of his quiver and was nocking it when Kacey's head turned toward him. "Be still," she said, and his body was no longer in his control. He knew he needed to take the shot, strike Kacey before she could hurt Chloe more, but no matter what his brain was telling him to do, he couldn't do it. Everything in him fought against her hold, but whatever mojo she had was Clark Kent strong.

Kacey laughed. "Good boy," she said, and bent down to speak directly into Chloe's ear. Unexpectedly tenderly, she began. "You're alone in a dark room. It's empty. Cold. There's no sense of time, just the feeling of restlessness.."

Oliver wanted to yell, do something to make her stop, but Chloe was already lulling into a state of unconsciousness. Her eyes rolled back in her head as she closed them, succumbing to the reality Kacey was painting for her.

"No one can hear you. No one can see you. _No one _can find you-"

Out of nowhere, Victor tackled Kacey. They hit the ground rolling, though both were quick to get back on their feet.

"Stay where you are!" she shouted at him.

Victor plowed into her again, sending her sliding ten feet across the ground. She looked up, shocked. "My robot half doesn't listen to anyone but itself," he said, and swung at her hard enough to make sure she stayed down.

Oliver felt the control of his own body come back to him like a warm blanket. Sure, his muscles ached from being mentally frozen in place, but he was glad to be able to put his bow and arrow away of his own accord. It was an odd sensation to have lost that self-control. It was like he'd been paralyzed, his will taken away, and all he had was a small part of his mind to hold on to his own thoughts. He was grateful Kacey didn't have the ability to read his thoughts, too, otherwise she might have actually destroyed him from the inside out.

"You okay?" Victor asked.

He nodded, then his eyes came to rest on Chloe. He rushed over, knelt by her side. He lifted her up with one arm and held her face with his free hand. "Chloe?"

His voice sounded off. He didn't like it. Maybe she couldn't register that it was him, Oliver, who was trying to get her to snap out of it because his voice was that of Green Arrow. He ripped his hoodie and glasses off. "Chloe?"

No response. She just lay there, lifeless like a rag doll, her skin turning an odd blue.

Oliver looked up at Victor. "She won't wake up," he said, still reeling from the shock of that fact.

"You think what Kacey said really got to her?"

"You saw me," Oliver said. "I got that way in two words. She was going off on Chloe."

Victor studied Chloe's face. He placed a hand on her forehead. "Her skin's ice cold."

Oliver checked it himself. Victor was right. She had to be ten degrees lower than the normal body temperature. "Chloe Sullivan. Chloe!"

Before he totally lost it, Oliver checked himself. He and Chloe were put under Kacey's mojo at around the same time. Kacey didn't say much to him, but she was the complete opposite with Chloe. When she passed out he was released, but Chloe wasn't. Why?

Oliver stared at her face. Chloe was fading, he and Victor knew it. He had to act fast. "Chloe, _listen to me_," he said, throwing all the strength he had in his voice. "You are on the corner of Main and Benson. Justin's here. Victor and I are here. You are right here." He took her hand, squeezing it. He remembered everything Kacey said. Now he had to use that to get through to Chloe. "You can get yourself out of that room. You have to hear us and see us. _You _have to find us."

Like a miracle, Chloe took a deep breath. "Ollie?" she asked, her eyes still closed.

He squeezed her hand before letting it go so he could hold her face. "Right here."

Weakly, she half-opened her eyes. "I'm cold."

He looked at Victor, whose face shown relief. His gaze went back to her. "I know."

* * *

**Epilogue.**

* * *

Chloe walked into the hospital lobby right as Justin was walking out. She hid the concern of seeing his arm in a sling with a smile. "Just who I came here to see."

He smiled back. "Perfect timing. I checked out a minute ago." He lifted his free hand, filled with paperwork. "This is my first free hospital visit."

Her mind went to Oliver and her smile turned genuine. She had no idea what happened when Kacey put her under, but when she came to Oliver was there. At first, he insisted she go to the hospital with Justin, but aside from a couple of bruises she was fine. She was unconscious for four minutes at most, after all. But she was glad Oliver took care of Justin's hospital bill, despite Justin's quote "lack of finesse" with handling the fake kidnapping of his co-worker. "Don't make a habit out of it," she said.

Justin led the walk toward the exit. Chloe waited a beat before asking, "So what's next for you?"

"Oh, I don't know," he shrugged. "I'm taking the time work gave me off to figure out what to do. Traveling sounds good. Maybe I'll pick up another language."

"Ambitious," she commented. "If you decide to stick around Kansas, or even if you don't, you know you could save the world with a group of justice seekers-as long as you don't keep butting heads with our team captain."

"I think I'll pass on the constant danger, but thanks for the invite. Speaking of our green-leathered savior," he said midstride, "I'm surprised he didn't freak out on you for getting caught in the fray again."

Chloe thought of last night. Everything happened so fast, too fast for her to hesitate or overthink. She didn't have the luxury of standing around, safe in her fortress of technology, watching via satellites from above and being able to anticipate what would happen next. Oliver knew that. Although the situation wasn't ideal he was simply glad no one on their side got hurt and that Kacey and Camille were locked up, charges pending. "Guess he's learning."

They stepped outside, onto the streets. Justin stopped and turned to face her completely. "Come on, Chloe, I know you like labels," he said. "What _is _Oliver to you?"

"He's.." A friend? Co-worker? Hero? Lover? Non-boyfriend? An escape from the world of serious? The one who eased the burden of facing the danger and pain?

Chloe looked up, certain. "My undefined."

He stared at her, seeming to accept her answer. "Well, let me give you one last piece of advice. No strings might sound good right now, but when you realize love isn't something to fear, you'll have someone who isn't afraid to love you." He leaned over to kiss her on the cheek. "I hope we meet again, Chloe Sullivan," he said, and walked away.

* * *

Justin waited until nightfall to arrange a pick-up. Two blocks from his apartment, he walked up to a black limousine. Without knocking, he opened the door and got in.

The limo passed three streets before he looked at the woman sitting across from him. "I don't understand," he began. "Why couldn't we have told them what we were doing?"

"Because in not doing so, we're protecting them. The less they know about us, the better."

"You know Chloe," he argued. "She would never betray your trust."

"She wouldn't," she agreed, "but she's a beacon for danger. And we don't know what we're up against."

He nodded, though doubt still lingered. The woman leaned forward, her hair spilling around her face like fire under the dim carlight. "It's too early to play the game, Justin. Don't plan out your moves without knowing what pieces are on the board."

"Okay, Mrs. Kent."

* * *

( The end. )

I'm already thinking of my next Chlollie fic. Should I do a Chloe/Oliver/Clark triangle semi-AU or a Chloe/Oliver/Lex completely AU?


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